Sports
OJ Simpson’s death draws scathing reactions from Caitlyn Jenner, family lawyer Ron Goldman and more just weeks after the NFL star disputed claims he was in hospice
OJ Simpson, the former NFL star who made headlines after being acquitted of murder charges, died on April 10. He first rose to fame during his storied NFL profession, but his accomplishments pale in comparison to the attention his infamous murder trial generated.
Now, as news of his death spreads, Simpson is causing just as much controversy in the afterlife.
Simpson was acquitted of brutally killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995. On April 11, the Simpson family announced that the former football star had died in Las Vegas after a battle with cancer. He was 76 years old.
“On April 10, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, passed away while battling cancer,” the family wrote on X, the social media site formerly referred to as Twitter.
“He was surrounded by children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that their wishes for privacy and grace be respected.”
Simpson previously denied reports that he was under hospice care. On February 9, he posted video about yourself in the driver’s seat of his automotive and made it clear that his prostate cancer had not progressed to the point where medical caregivers were simply attempting to alleviate his suffering.
“Hospice? Hospice? Are you talking about hospice? No, I’m not in any hospice,” Simpson said, laughing. “I don’t know who put that up.”
The 76-year-old added that he plans to ask “a lot of friends” to the Super Bowl party.
Just two days later, Simpson posted one other video in which he assured followers that he remained in “good health” despite his prostate cancer diagnosis.
“Thank you to all the people who contacted me. My health is good,” Simpson said on February 11 in his latest video post on social media.
Simpson has appeared repeatedly on the sports podcast “It Is What It Is,” which has featured hip-hop artist Cam’Ron in addition to rapper and ordained minister Mason “Ma$e” Betha. Simpson last appeared on the show on January 1. 22. During the show, he discussed quite a lot of topics, including the Buffalo Bills’ disappointing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL playoffs.
“The match itself was great. I mean, it was a competitive match. It went back and forth, back and forth. I assumed each teams, and even the Bills, played well enough to win. – said Simpson.
Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter released a press release shortly after news of Simpson’s death broke.
“OJ Simpson was the first player to surpass the 2,000-yard mark, which many believed was impossible to achieve in a 14-game season. “His contributions on the field will be preserved in the Hall Archives in Canton, Ohio.”
But not all reactions to Simpson’s death were favorable. Caitlyn Jenner, who was previously married to Kris Jenner, learned of Simpson’s death on social media.
“Goodnight,” Jenner wrote.
Shortly after Jenner’s post, her comments were flooded with fans who got here to Simpson’s defense, and some even reminded Jenner that she was liable for someone’s death.
“You’re mad because he’s Khloe’s real daddy,” one X user said he was joking.
“I’m sure the family of the person you hit can’t WAIT to say the same about you,” one other commenter replied.
I do know you do not say pic.twitter.com/rGqVe0QrLC
—SWB (@ykkswb) April 11, 2024
– said David Cook, a lawyer who represented Ron Goldman’s family in wrongful death civil lawsuits TMZ“OJ died without repentance,” adding that the Goldman family will proceed to come back for the judgment they’re owed for more than $70 million.
Gloria Allred, who represented Nicole Brown Simpson’s family during her murder trial, shared her thoughts in a press release released following the news of OJ’s death.
“My heart goes out to the children of OJ Simpson and the very brave family of Nicole Brown Simpson,” Allred said. “The truth about OJ Simpson can never be erased and should never be forgotten. OJ Simpson is dead. May his victims finally rest in peace.”
Marc Lamont Hill delivered a message to the community about treating Simpson like a martyr.
“OJ Simpson was a violent liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood. His acquittal of murder was the proper and crucial results of a racist criminal legal system. But he continues to be a monster, not a martyr,” he wrote on Twitter.
OJ Simpson was a violent liar who abandoned his community long before he killed two people in cold blood. His acquittal of murder was the proper and crucial results of a racist criminal legal system. But he continues to be a monster, not a martyr.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) April 11, 2024
Simpson pleaded “100 percent not guilty” during his infamous murder trial, and his defense team included a variety of powerful lawyers, including civil rights attorney Johnnie Cochran, top defense attorneys F. Lee Bailey and Alan Dershowitz, and Barry’ Scheck’s ego.
Simpson’s longtime friend and lawyer, Robert Kardashian, also worked on the case as a member of the “Dream Team.” Both Kardashian and Simpson attended the University of Southern California. Robert is the father of Kim, Kourtney, Khloe and Rob Kardashian.
Simpson’s acquittal sparked a combination of shock and joy across the country. However, for several years after his acquittal, he began to fight. He was arrested in 2007 in reference to an armed robbery of a Las Vegas hotel room.
Simpson spent nine years in prison on charges of armed robbery and other crimes. In 2017, he was granted parole.
Simpson left behind 4 children from two marriages. He shared his two youngest children, Sydney and Justin, with Brown.
OJ Simpson’s death draws scathing reactions from Caitlyn Jenner, family lawyer Ron Goldman and more just weeks after the NFL star disputed claims he was in hospice
Sports
Netflix sued over streaming issues during Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight
More than 60 million viewers reportedly tuned in to observe the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, with many experiencing issues while streaming the event on Netflix. Given the issues one man needed to cope with because of streaming difficulties, he sued the streaming giant for $50 million.
According to , Florida resident Ronald “Blue” Denton filed a class-action lawsuit on November 18. The lawsuit related to a fight between the 2 men on Friday, November 15, which resulted in a unanimous decision victory for Paul over Tyson. The viewer is suing the corporate, amongst others. for breach of contract.
reports Denton wrote: “60 million Americans were thrilled to see “Iron” Mike Tyson, “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” versus award-winning YouTuber Jake Paul.” What they saw was “The Worst Streaming on the Planet.”
As the fight continued, many individuals on social media complained that they were having trouble watching the fight. Some complaints included buffering issues or inability to access the app.
Stating that “over 100,000 people have complained online,” the lawsuit said that “boxing fans, in addition to average Americans wanting to see the legend in what is probably going his final fight, have been faced with legendary issues including lack of access, streaming glitches and buffering issues.”
reported that Netflix admitted it was aware of its customers’ streaming issues during the boxing match.
“We don’t want to downplay the bad experience some members had and know we have a lot of room for improvement, but we still consider this event a huge success.”
Netflix announced that the fight was watched by 60 million people worldwide and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams.
Tyson (58), who has not boxed for several years, is over 30 years older than Paul (27).
Sports
In 2025, the Basketball Africa League play-offs will move to South Africa
The 2025 Basketball Africa League season will feature a brand new venue for the finals and playoffs and will also start at a brand new location.
The BAL 2025 Playoffs and Finals, scheduled for June 14, 2025, will happen at the recent home in Pretoria, South Africa. This will be the first time the BAL playoffs and finals haven’t been held in Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL 2025 season will also debut in a brand new location in Rabat, Morocco on April 5, 2025. During the BAL 2025 season, 12 of the best club teams from 12 African countries will play 48 matches in Rabat, Kigali and Dakar, Senegal, before traveling to Pretoria for play- offs.
“Over the first four seasons of BAL, we have seen tremendous growth in on-court competition, attendance and engagement from fans and partners in Africa and around the world,” BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said in a press release. “Our groundbreaking fifth season will build on this momentum and continue to showcase the level of talent and passion for basketball in Africa, including through the first BAL games in Morocco and the first BAL Finals in South Africa.”
The 12 teams will be divided again into three conferences of 4 teams each. The group stage of the Kalahari Conference will happen from April 5 to 13, 2025 in Rabat. The group stage of the Sahara Conference will be held in Dakar from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The group stage of the Nile Conference will be held in Kigali from May 17 to 25, 2025. Eight teams from the three conferences will qualify for the play-offs in Pretoria, which will start on June 6 and end with the BAL 2025 finals.
“The Kalahari conference marks another expansion of BAL into a new country on our continent and we are more than satisfied,” FIBA Africa president Anibal Manave said in a press release. “The competition continues to grow each year, providing greater exposure for our sport and helping to raise the level of basketball in Africa, making the league increasingly competitive.”
National champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia routinely qualify for the BAL. The remaining five teams are from FIBA Africa’s Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments.
In the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda of Angola became the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to win the championship. According to BAL, the 2024 BAL season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of greater than 120,000 fans in the 4 host countries and generated greater than 1.2 billion views across the NBA and BAL social media channels.
Sports
NFL star Terrell Owens signs a contract with Michael Strahan’s talent agency
NFL Hall of Fame receiver and podcast host Terrell Owens has signed with a talent agency to further strengthen his claims within the entertainment game.
According to , Owens was signed by SMAC Entertainment, headed by host and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz has also joined SMAC Entertainment.
“We are excited to add TO and Jordan to the SMAC family. They are both at the top of their game and set the standard in their industry,” Schwartz-Morini said in a written statement. “TO and Jordan have already brought an infectious energy to our team, and we are excited to help them realize their vision for careers in media, business and branding.”
A five-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Owens played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. In 2018, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A member of the 2000 NFL All-Decade Team, Owens finished his profession with 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards, 14.8 yards per catch and 153 touchdowns, rating third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Since retiring from skilled soccer in 2012, Owens has already made several moves. He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including “,” and in addition had his own reality show, “, on VH1.
He currently co-hosts the podcast with former NFL player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.
SMAC Entertainment is home to stars similar to rapper and actor Common, Wiz Khalifa, Strahan, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and current NFL players similar to Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.
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