2. O. J. Simpson (RB – Buffalo Bills)
“The Juice” was one of the greatest RBs in NFL history, setting countless records as the starting RB for the Buffalo Bills and becoming the first player in NFL history to record 2,000 rushing yards in a single season – and the only one to do it in a 14-game season. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 after winning 4 NFL rushing titles, multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections as well as an NFL MVP award in 1973. After retiring from football, Simpson became a highly successful actor, playing Detective Nordberg in the popular Naked Gun franchise alongside Hollywood icon Leslie Nielsen.
Then came the Trial of the Century in 1994 when he was accused of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. On June 17, after failing to turn himself in, he became the object of a low-speed pursuit in a white Ford Bronco SUV that interrupted coverage of the 1994 NBA Finals. The pursuit, arrest, and trial were among the most widely publicized events in American history.
Simpson was found not guilty on October 3, 1995, but later wrote a book entitled “(IF) I DID IT” – an account of the murder essentially confessing to the crime.
The Juice was arrested in 2007 for a Las Vegas robbery that included kidnapping and is now in prison serving a 33-year sentence. He is expected to be paroled around 2017.
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