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O.J. Simpson, the former football star whose life collapsed following a trial for the killing of his ex-wife and then a prison sentence for robbery, is facing parole from a Nevada prison.
Simpson, now 70, has served just over nine years of a 30-year sentence for a memorabilia robbery in Las Vegas in September, 2007. Simpson and five other men entered a hotel room and held two memorabilia dealers at gunpoint because Simpson claimed they had possession of items that rightfully belonged to him. Simpson was arrested, held without bail, and eventually convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and conspiracy.
He could be released as soon as Oct. 1
Simpson was a football star at Southern California, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1969. He played in the NFL from 1969-1979, and in 1973, became the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He played for the Buffalo Bills until 1977, and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers following that season, an that's where he played the final two years of his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985
But that wasn't the end of O.J. He became a pop culture icon by starring in a Hertz commercial that famously showed him leaping over luggage as he ran through an airport. He also found fame in movies with roles in Roots and the Towering Inferno, among others, but he may have gained the most movie fame with his portrayal of the dimwitted Det. Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies. He became a commentator on Monday Night Football as well.
His life took a turn in 1994 when he was arrested in the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson and his friend, Al Cowlings, famously led police on chase — the White Bronco chase — that was internationally television. His court appearances were tagged, "The Trail of the Century," and he maintained his innocence throughout. In a controversial ruling, the jury agreed, and Simpson was found not guilty. However, he was found "liable" in the deaths in a civil suit and ordered to pay $33.5 million.
Proving is star power — whether it's famous or infamous — still shines bright, Simpson's parole hearing was broadcast live on several cable networks.
