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#pounditThursday, January 2, 2025

OJ Simpson’s lawyer answers big question about CTE

OJ Simpson at a parole hearing

July 20, 2017: Former NFL football star O.J. Simpson appears via video for his parole hearing at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nev. Photo Credit: Jason Bean / USA TODAY NETWORK

OJ Simpson is a former NFL player who committed crimes and exhibited erratic behavior, so naturally many have wondered if the Hall of Fame running back suffered from CTE. It does not sound like we are ever going to get an answer to that.

Simpson died on Wednesday at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer. A representative for his estate has since told the New York Post that Simpson will be cremated on Tuesday, and there is no plan to donate his brain for research of any kind.

Simpson’s attorney and executor Malcolm LaVergne said testing for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is “not happening.”

“With OJ everything’s wild, but I’ve been getting calls from medical centers that are doing CTE testing asking me for OJ’s brain … that is not happening,” LaVergne said. “I may consult with the children on it, but I haven’t heard anything about it, so it’s just not going to happen. OJ wants all of his body cremated for his children to do what they see fit.”

Simpson has four children, and LaVergne said he expects all of them to sign off on Simpson being cremated. There has been no indication that Simpson’s brain will be studied by doctors.

Simpson, a former NFL MVP, was accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. Simpson was acquitted following a lengthy trial that captivated the public’s interest.

Simpson served nine years in prison from 2008-2017 for armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from a confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers at a Vegas casino hotel in 2007.

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