O.J. Simpson’s Nickname: Why Is Former Footballer Called ‘The Juice’?

OJ Simpson nickname

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O.J. Simpson was nicknamed “The Juice” back when he was playing in the NFL. He was a very popular footballer in the ’70s and had fans all over the country, not just in the cities where he played. O.J., whose full name is Orenthal James Simpson, was a running back known for his speed. That is, in part, how he got his nickname.

O.J., you see, had “the juice”; that sweet stuff that made him one of the best players in the game during his time playing in the NFL. The nickname worked particularly well for Simpson because his initials are the same initials used for “orange juice.”

Simpson retired from the NFL in 1979. He went on to become an actor and he even did some work as a sports commentator. In 1994, Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were killed, stabbed to death outside of Brown’s home in Los Angeles. Simpson was arrested in connection with the two murders and charged in the case. In 1995, a jury acquitted Simpson of both murder charges. He did, however, lose a civil suit, and was ordered to pay the Brown and Goldman families over $33 million.

In 2007, Simpson was arrested and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. Police say that Simpson and a pal stole various memorabilia that Simpson claims belonged to him. He was found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery and sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison. His possible maximum sentence was 33 years.

However, with good behavior over the past eight years of his time served, Simpson was granted parole on Thursday, July 20. If everything goes according to schedule, he could be a free man as early as October 1, 2017.

Many people have been using Simpson’s nickname in correlation with his potential freedom. If you check social media, you may see things like, “the Juice is loose” or other plays on the rhyming words, suggesting that Simpson is going to be freed in the coming months.