Official Heisman Trophy Social Media Account ‘Mourns the Passing’ of O.J. Simpson

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The official Heisman Trophy X account made scores of users aware of its existence on Thursday by tweeting that it “mourns the passing” of O.J. Simpson, who died on Wednesday of prostate cancer.

Simpson, who had an illustrious Hall of Fame career as an NFL running back with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, was prosecuted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. “The Juice,” as he was known, was acquitted by a jury in Los Angeles the following year. Despite the verdict, a majority of Americans believe Simpson committed the murders.

In 1997, a civil jury found Simpson liable for the battery and wrongful death of Goldman, and battery against Brown, but not death, as the Browns declined to sue on those grounds. In all, Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages. To help pay, he auctioned the 1968 Heisman Trophy he won while at the University of Southern California. He ran into more legal problems in 2008, when he was sentenced to prison for armed robbery before being paroled in 2013.

The Heisman Trophy X account marked Simpson’s death in a tweet.

“The Heisman Trophy Trust mourns the passing of 1968 Heisman Trophy Winner O.J. Simpson,” it wrote. “We extend our sympathy to his family.”

The post prompted a wave of tweets about fellow USC alum and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who was made to give back the award after he was found to have received cash, travel, and a home where Bush’s parents lived for a year without paying rent.

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