The Last Time I Spoke With O.J. Simpson
My last encounter with O.J. Simpson was in 1997, just before his civil trial was to commence in Santa Monica. He was being sued for wrongful death by the families of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman.
He had been acquitted of their murders in 1995 in what had been called “The Trial of the Century.” And I had just published the number one New York Times bestseller, American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense. Seeing him brought back a lot of memories.
The first time I met O.J. was in 1967, when he was playing football for USC in a game against UCLA. I was working as a photographer for Life magazine, and I captured on film many moments of a contest that was dubbed “The Game of the Century” by sportswriters of the time. O.J.’s game-winning touchdown run that day was the makings of a college football legend.