O.J. Simpson Left Out of ESPYs ‘In Memoriam’ Segment

Pro Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson was notably excluded from the ‘In Memoriam’ segment at the 2024 ESPY Awards held Thursday night.

Simpson, who passed away at 76 in April, was left out of the tribute montage that honored other recently deceased athletes such as Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen, and Basketball Hall of Famers Jerry West and Bill Walton. ESPN’s decision to omit Simpson from the segment comes shortly after his controversial mention in the BET Awards’ remembrance segment, which received backlash from the Brown and Goldman families.

Simpson was infamously accused in the 1994 stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. Although Simpson was found “not guilty” in the highly publicized 1995 criminal trial, he was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial two years after. Last month, the FBI made public nearly 1,000 pages of documents related to the murder investigation.

The 1995 murder trial, along with a 2008 prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping, have largely overshadowed Simpson’s Hall of Fame football career and his post-retirement acting endeavors. Following his release on parole, Simpson attempted to restore his public image through social media, launching his X account just over a year after getting out of jail. He was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after nine years, on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery.

Simpson’s official cause of death was revealed as prostate cancer by his longtime attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, who disclosed the details to TMZ Sports on April 26. LaVergne, also the executor of Simpson’s estate, confirmed the diagnosis after receiving Simpson’s death certificate. The family had previously announced his death in a statement on April 11, shared via his X account.