Could OJ Have Suffered From CTE

I hope you have been watching the fabulous five part “30 For 30” on ESPN the last few days about OJ Simpson. It is a fascinating, detailed analysis not only of OJ but of race, class, celebrity, and justice in Los Angeles. You should definitely take a look if you can.

I want to make clear that what I am about to ask now in no way is meant to excuse OJ for the things he has done.  He is clearly responsible for his own actions. But it is a question we might have asked if we knew then what we know now about the toll of repeated concussive hits to the head. Is it possible that OJ suffered from CTE resulting from his football career?  It’s a question that certainly came to mind while I’ve been watching the series and also a question that we may never know the answer to.  In fact, OJ’s defense team tried to use concussions in a failed strategy to get a new trial in his armed robbery case in Las Vegas. And earlier this year, Dr. Bennet Omalu who essentially “discovered” chronic traumatic encephalopathy in football players and who, it must be said, has also not personally examined Simpson, said he “would bet his medical license” that OJ had CTE. But, to reiterate, this would still in no way excuse what Simpson has done.