O.J. Simpson, the NFL Hall of Famer, has passed away at 76 after battling prostate cancer. He played for the Buffalo Bills for nine seasons from 1969 to 1977 before moving to the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons. Simpson was acquitted of the charges of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in an infamous trial in 1995. Simpson had a net worth of $3 million at the time of his death, most of it coming from pensions from the NFL and SAG.
While Simpson won the criminal case against him, he lost the civil case filed by the Goldman family. The court ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages. However, Simpson didn’t pay a large part of the said money and the Goldman family will continue to press Simpson’s four children to pay up the money.
O.J. Simpson’s Net Worth — The NFL Star Leaves A Fortune For His 4 Children
According to Celebrity Net Worth, O.J. Simpson left a net worth of $3 million for his children — Arnelle, Jason, Sydney, and Justin. This staggering fortune is untouchable by any creditors or the Goldman family as it comes through mainly pensions. The Naked Gun actor earned $42,000 a year in Social Security and a standard pension from the Screen Actors Guild, stemming from his brief acting career.
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Simpson earned approximately $10, 565 per month or over $125,000 per year from his NFL pension. Some other sites like Sports Illustrated calculated a much higher figure of $25,000 per month.
When he entered into the contract with Buffalo Bills in 1969, he negotiated a salary of $650,000 over five years, which is equivalent to $5.7 million now when adjusted for inflation. In 1992, Simpson and Nicole Brown filed for separation after seven years of marriage. In the court filings, Simpson claimed his estimated net worth to be $10.8 million (via Celebrity Net Worth).
The court then ordered Simpson to pay Nicole a one-time settlement of $433,750 and an additional $10,000 in child support. Such legal settlements continued to eat away a significant portion of his wealth.
Simpson’s other major income source came through his book deal. He penned the book, If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer. He reportedly collected $880,000 in advance money for the book, however, the manuscript rights for the book later went to the Goldman family. Simpson later told The Associated Press that the money from the book deal helped him get out of major debt and saved him from losing his home (via LA Times).
O.J. Simpson’s Staggering Debt To The Goldman Family Remains
O.J. Simpson only paid some of the debt that he owed to the Goldman family before his death. While the court-ordered amount was $33.5 million in damages, the interest upon the original amount kept mounting over the years. A Nevada court filing from Ron Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, reported that Simpson had paid roughly $133,000 of the settlement up until February 2021 (via KTNV Las Vegas).
The Goldman family may legally move against Simpson’s four children to pay up the remaining debt. However, they cannot legally obtain the $3 million fortune passed down to the children. Simpson’s death was announced by the family through a post in X. Their statement read:
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
Apart from the murder trial, O.J. Simpson was charged with kidnapping and armed robbery in 2008 and spent nine years in jail. He was released on parole in 2017.
