OJ Simpson’s brain will not be donated for CTE research, a family spokesperson has revealed.
The body of the killer and former NFL player – who died aged 76 on Wednesday – is now set to be cremated in Las Vegas on Tuesday, a representative for his estate told The New York Post.
There have been repeated requests by scientists for ex-running back Simpson’s brain to be donated for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) research, but the family have reportedly refused with a ‘hard no’.
Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s long-standing attorney and executor, confirmed that all necessary paperwork for Simpson’s cremation has been completed.
Despite repeated requests from scientists, there are no intentions to donate Simpson’s brain for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) research
The body of the killer and former NFL player – who died Wednesday at the age of 76 – is now set to be cremated in Las Vegas on Tuesday, according to a representative for his estate
CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – can only be diagnosed after death, but as the disease has gained notoriety, many football players have agreed to posthumously donate their brains for research.
One of the main symptoms of CTE is aggressive behavior. Other symptoms include memory loss, depression, anxiety and impaired judgement.
Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as ‘The Juice’ and ran behind an offensive line known as ‘The Electric Company.’
He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards – the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.
The family announced on his official X account that the former football star and Hollywood actor whose murder trial for the killing of his ex-wife became a national sensation, died Wednesday after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Social media users later called for OJ Simpson’s brain to be tested for CTE – the degenerative brain disease that has been found in numerous deceased former football players.
But now it will never be known if his rampaging football career may have impacted his brain.
In the wake of Simpson’s death, one social media user wrote: ‘In all seriousness I really hope OJ Simpson’s family has his brain checked for signs of CTE, out of respect for the Brown and Goldman families, even for his own kids’.
Another commented: ‘I hope OJ Simpson gave consent to allow his brain to be studied to see if he had CTE. My condolences to his children.’
‘From the moment I started studying CTE, I’ve hypothesized that OJ Simpson showed all the classic hallmarks of the disease and that Nicole and Ronald Goldman may have been among its horrific toll,’ added another. ‘I hope his brain is examined and we learn more.’
Another person wrote: ‘I hope they study OJ Simpson’s brain to see if he suffered from CTE and if it impacted his violent behavior. What the NFL does to players is so wrong, and their families often suffer the consequences.’
Social media users have called for OJ Simpson’s brain to be tested for CTE after his death
In 2018, months after his release from prison, Simpson admitted he was ‘concerned’ that he may have had CTE.
‘I get concerned,’ Simpson had told The Buffalo News in Las Vegas.
‘I do recognize that it probably affects you in short-term memory more than long-term. I know with me, I have days I can’t find words. I literally cannot find words or the name of somebody I know.’
‘That gets a little scary. Those days happen when I’m tired.
‘I feel all right. But I have days when I can’t … I lose words, and I can’t come up with a simple word. I can’t remember a phone number, so forget that.’
CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – can only be diagnosed after death, but as the disease has gained notoriety, many football players have agreed to posthumously donate their brains for research. One of the main symptoms of CTE is aggressive behavior
Simpson’s football legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Goldman in Los Angeles.
Live TV coverage of his arrest after a famous slow-speed chase marked a shocking fall from grace.
The jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
A decade later, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns.
A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.
Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor.
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