O.J. Simpson’s legacy: selfishness, arrogance and indifference

On April 10, O.J. Simpson died surrounded by his family at the age of 76. The cause was prostate cancer. It marked the end of a long and turbulent life marked by poverty, survival, riches, violence, murder, and stardom.

The Juice, as he was known in the decades before a civil jury said he murdered his ex-wife and her friend, was a Heisman Trophy winner, Hall of Fame running back for USC and the Buffalo Bills, and a father to five children.

He was arguably the first crossover athlete of the 20th century. Before Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, there was O.J. The Juice was handsome, charismatic, and well-suited to be a star.

Wholesome public image contrasted with his personality

Today, it is hard to imagine just how popular and well-liked O.J. Simpson was before that horrible night in June 1994.

He became a national star at the University of Southern California. Beginning in the 1970s Simpson was a corporate pitchman for General Motors, Chevrolet, Sports Illustrated, drink companies, Schick razors and, most famously, Hertz Rental Cars.

The media work as a sports analyst and endorsements created a public image which often was at odds with the private reality. In numerous books, documentaries and interviews with people who knew him, a disturbing portrait of a vainglorious, womanizing and, at times, violent man emerged.

There were allegations he was violent toward his first wife. In 1989, he was arrested for abusing his second wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. In fact, his inability to handle rejection and his need to control and dominate his ex-wife led him to be accused of murdering her and Ronald Goldman in June 1994. He was acquitted in the criminal trial in 1995.

O.J. Simpson's violent proclivities cannot be forgotten. But there is another side of this story, one which also deserves consideration if we are to accurately consider the totality of his life.

Simpson had no interest in helping Civil Rights Movement

Let's be honest: in many ways O.J. Simpson was not a likable person. But he was a human being. Now it is appropriate to consider other parts of his life. O.J.'s stated desire to not be involved in the great Civil Rights struggle of his early adulthood remain jarring more than a half century later.

He embraced infamous FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and knowingly played into the falsity known as colorblindness. On several occasions he spoke about his views on civil rights, his reluctance to get involved and how others may have made mistakes by joining the fight for justice. O.J.'s moral failure to recognize the pressing issues of the day spoke volumes.

The desire for money, status, and white acceptance overrode the call for first class citizenship for Black Americans. He refused to join other Black athletes to protest the mistreatment and abuse Black Americans were subjected to in the United States in the late 1960s.

Sociologist Harry Edwards recalled in the landmark documentary, “OJ: Made in America,” asking Simpson to join the others, in which Simpson replied “'I'm not black, I am OJ.' ” In short, O.J. Simpson was not a race man.

O.J.'s lack of appreciation for the moral imperative of civil rights reflected his selfishness and cold realism regarding race relations in the United States and was designed to enhance his profile, line his pockets and align himself with people who would allow him to get as far away from his humble beginnings and race as humanly possible.

O.J. Simpson could have been on a pedestal as a man who stood for something bigger than himself. In the end, he died much as he had lived: arrogant, selfobsessed, without regard for those around him.

Daryl A. Carter, Ph.D., is associate dean, director, and professor of history at East Tennessee State University.