O.J. Simpson raises eyebrows with Carl Weathers tribute
O.J. Simpson paid tribute to actor Carl Weathers following the news of Weather's death at age 76 on Friday, though unsurprisingly, condolences from one of the most famous double-murder defendants were taken with a grain of salt.
“I first met Carl on the football field. I think I was a rookie and we were playing in Oakland and it was during warmups,” Simpson recalled in a video on X.
Weathers, who famously played Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise, first began a career in the NFL before pivoting to acting.
“He ran up to me, I guess he was playing linebacker for the Raiders at the time, trying to make the team,” Simpson said. “He told me he was an actor and you know, wanted to talk to me about it.”
According to Simpson, he had his trainer give Weathers his phone number and the two got it touch.
Simpson went on to send his condolences to Weathers’ family, adding that he was “a terrific guy. A very, very nice guy and a very talented actor, I might add.”
Although Weathers only played two seasons in the NFL, he went on to have a long acting career that not only included four “Rocky” films, but roles in movies such as “Predator” alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.”
Simpson, 76, meanwhile had a stellar football career, and was a Hollywood star as well, before being charged with the brutal murders of his ex-wife and a male associate in 1994. Although Simpson was acquitted in 1995 following a highly controversial trial, his acting career and reputation all but died.
“OJ! What were you doing the night Carl Weathers passed?” one wisecracker responded to his video.
Another social media user noted that Friday — the day Simpson posted his homage to Weathers — came on Feb. 2, which would have been his 39th wedding anniversary to Nicole Brown Simpson had she not divorced him a few years before her murder.
“Now do Ron and Nicole,” wrote another user, sarcastically asking Simpson to post a loving tribute to his former wife and Ron Goldman, who was butchered the same night as Brown outside her Los Angeles area home.
