Getty O.J. Simpson greets a Buffalo Bills fan.
In one of the final messages on social media before his passing on April 10, Buffalo Bills legend O.J. Simpson sent some words of encouragement to his former team.
Simpson passed away on Wednesday after a battle with cancer, his family announced on X on Thursday. He was 76.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” the message read. “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
Simpson had built a social media presence in the years following his 2017 release from prison after serving nine years on a series of charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping. He often posted videos on X sharing his thoughts on the NFL, including a message in January rooting on the Bills before their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
O.J. Simpson: ‘Go Bills’
In a video posted on January 14, Simpson shared his thoughts on the first round of the NFL playoffs while sitting outdoors with a Buffalo Bills flag and banner. He discussed weather conditions in the Kansas City Chiefs‘ win over the Miami Dolphins and said he was surprised that the Bills had rescheduled the game against the Steelers due to a major winter storm. Simpson recalled that he played in all kinds of conditions during his tenure with the Bills.
That’s the @NFL, That’s football. Go @BuffaloBills
“I played nine years in Buffalo, we never canceled a game,” Simpson said.
Simpson concluded his video with some encouragement for the Bills and his hometown team and final stop in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers.
“Can’t wait until Monday night,” Simpson said, adding. “In any event, great season for Miami. Go Bills, go Niners!”
Simpson shared more videos throughout the playoffs, expressing his support for the 49ers as they reached the Super Bowl and also refuting rumors that he had gone into hospice care while battling cancer.
Bills Maintained Ties With O.J. Simpson
Simpson played nine seasons with the Bills, rushing for 11,236 yards and 76 touchdowns. He became the NFL’s first running back to cross the 2,000-yard mark for a season, averaging 143.1 yards per game in an MVP campaign in 1973.
Simpson remained a vocal Bills fan through his later years. He attended a game against the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and the season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
The Bills also maintained ties with Simpson, even after he was charged and acquitted of murder then later convicted on robbery and kidnapping charges. The running back remained on the team’s Wall of Fame, despite some calls to remove him.
In November 2021, state Assemblyman Patrick Burke wrote in an open letter to team owners that Simpson’s name should be removed.
“While O.J. Simpson was a great player, he is not a person who exemplifies the values of the Buffalo Bills or the Western New York Community,” Burke wrote in a letter shared on X. “Spousal abuse, of which Simpson pleaded no contest to in his 1995 trial, is not something that should be tolerated.”
“While he was found ‘not guilty’ of the homicide of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman, Simpson was found to be legally responsible for their deaths by a civil jury,” Burke added. “O.J. Simpson’s name remaining on the wall sends a harrowing and distorted message to survivors of domestic violence that abuse is condoned.”
The team’s owners did not respond publicly, and Simpson remained on the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.
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