OJ Simpson criticised over comments on Chauvin trial

‘You gotta let the jury speak, it’s the American way’

OJ Simpson caused a stir online after offering his opinion on the trial of Derek Chauvin ahead of the guilty verdict for the former Minneapolis police officer.

The former football star and actor posted a video on Tuesday discussing his response to the trial just before Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd.

Simpson’s own acquittal by a jury in 1995 – for the murder of of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman – is one of the most controversial in recent years. He was found liable in the case in a civil suit in 1997.

In the video titled “Verdict Watch”, Simpson, 73, said: “I thought it was a classic case of grave indifference. I thought it was unnecessary force.”

He added: “There was no chance George Floyd was going to get up and try to run ... try to attack them in handcuffs.”

Speaking of his hopes for the verdict itself, Simpson said: “I hope this is behind us, I do hope that there is some kind of verdict of a conviction. I think the man deserves it.”

“To what degree? You gotta let the jury speak, it’s the American way,” he concludes. “I’m just saying, take care, wear your mask.”

Chauvin was convicted on two counts of murder and one of manslaughter on Tuesday.

The trial of Simpson was similarly controversial to the Chauvin trial, and captivated the public at the time, dominating news coverage for its entire 252-day run.

His acquittal outraged those convinced he was guilty and provoked celebration from those who felt he was the victim of a racist criminal justice system.

Commenters were quick to offer polarising views of Simpson’s clip discussing the Chauvin trial, with one person saying: “I really don’t want to get judicial advice from OJ Simpson.”

Another added: “Logging into Twitter and seeing OJ Simpson give thoughts on a huge trial and verdict dealing with the black community in 2021 is CRAZYYYY.”

One user described the former NFL player as “very well spoken” saying they “enjoy hearing his thoughts on stuff.”

“Feel like maybe OJ should’ve sat this one out,” another person said.

Following his acquittal, Simpson was later given a nine-to-33-year sentence in 2008 for a subsequent armed robbery case. He was released in 2017 after serving nine years.