The death of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson has sent shockwaves through sports and popular culture. In a span of roughly two deacades, Simpson became both the first NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and also stood trial in a widely-publicized case, in which he was accused of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, as well as her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted, but the outcome of the trial remains controversial to this day.
Nevertheless, Simpson remained a visible public figure after leaving Los Angeles for Las Vegas, where he died Wednesday. He often uploaded short videos to social media, and his final public message resurfaced Thursday, in which he discussed Super Bowl LVIII and concerns surrounding his health.
O.J. felt strongly about San Francisco
In a 98-second video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 11 — the day of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas — Simpson is seen seated by a pool at his Vegas estate and wearing a Deebo Samuel jersey. In that vein, he predicted that the San Francisco 49ers — for whom Simpson played between 1978 and 1979 — would defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 24-20, to win the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1994 season. He also predicted that Samuel would win Super Bowl MVP honors.
But of course, that isn’t quite how the game went. Despite jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the 49ers were powerless to shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in the second half, and the game went to overtime tied at 19. Mahomes eventually engineered the winning touchdown drive in the dying seconds of overtime to produce a come-from-behind 25-22 victory — Kansas City‘s second consecutive Super Bowl win.
Simpson discussed his health
Elsewhere in Simpson’s final video, the San Francisco native talked about rumors surrounding his health. He previously stated in May 2023 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in the video, he expresses optimism about returning to the golf course “in a couple weeks” while thanking fans for their support.
