The Cautionary Tale of OJ Simpson

It’s hard to blame coaches and football medical personnel of the past that the science wasn’t available about the degenerative brain disease CTE but after news of Simpson’s passing many hope his family would allow scientists to examine Simpson’s brain to see if he had that disease.

In 2016, Dr. Bennett Omalu, who discovered CTE, said he would bet his medical license that Simpson was suffering from the disease.

In 2018, Simpson told The Buffalo News in an interview "I get concerned, I do recognize that it probably affects you in short-term memory more than long-term. I know with me, I have days I can't find words. I literally cannot find words or the name of somebody I know. That gets a little scary. Those days happen when I'm tired."

The cautionary tale that everyone involved with football has to realize is the men who are the engine of the game are disposable pieces that they are still people. When we turn our backs on these people, what pains or diseases that they are afflicted with don’t go away.

Fortunately the NFL is leading the way in funding the science to help reduce head trauma injuries to help reduce the chances its players get CTE.

The other aspect is NIL, I just want to emphasize I don’t want athletes to lose this ability because it is unacceptable for everyone else to make money off your name and you are forbidden to, the sudden wealth component.

The use case of a double murder is one that is the most extreme, but if we examine a more common use case of an individual who was coddled throughout their prep career and got to college that was handed significant money more than he has seen but again coddled throughout college because there is a lot of money on the line to ensure that athlete is on the field at some point that athlete has no concept of ramifications of their actions.

Also consider that throughout this journey, any need that athlete needs is met because they produce at a high level. But when they can no longer produce that athlete has no concept of working to figure it out.

Look at the recent case of former Oklahoma Sooners and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who earned over $100 million and now is facing financial hardships that include property seizures. Peterson also faced during his playing career a suspension for using a switch to discipline his children in 2014 and 2018 doubled down on he still uses it as a punishment tool.

Is anyone looking in on Peterson at this point? Peterson took the same physical punishment Simpson endured and now we are starting to see him lash out about his situation. The most obvious person with the CTE example is the erratic behavior displayed by former wide receiver Antonio Brown.

I am not here to change your mind on O.J. Simpson. Whatever you think of him, that has already been decided. Who I extend my condolences to are the ones who are hurting because of their loss to Simpson.

What overall needs to be taken more into consideration is the power and influence football has, very few things in life even match it. Football not only created the superstar that was O.J. Simpson, it was also football that was the recipe for the degenerative brain disease that very likely cost the lives of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.