Latest news with #OJSimpson
CNN
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
The Sean ‘Diddy' Combs case shows ‘trialtainment' has evolved in the post-OJ Simpson era
Salacious details, discussion of domestic violence and a Black male celebrity who for decades had a strong base of supporters. While the alleged crimes are not the same, some of the cultural issues involved could describe the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2025, or that of O.J. Simpson in 1995. Simpson's case sparked an era of 'trialtainment,' with an abundance of viewers and readers following an exhaustive round-the-clock news cycle, absorbing every detail of the bombshell murder case. Thirty years later, as the world awaits a verdict in Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial, interest in celebrity court cases remains high, but public discourse around race and intimate partner violence has changed. 'I think a lot of women have evolved in terms of taking a stance that we can speak up. We are now just being comfortable with speaking up and this is as a result of the #MeToo movement,' legal analyst and entertainment law expert Lisa Bonner – who is not connected to either case – told CNN. Simpson, who died in April 2024 at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer, was accused of fatally stabbing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. The star football player and actor was acquitted in 1995. Combs is facing allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. The mogul and music artist has pleaded not guilty. Both men had well respected careers, amassed wealth and power and initially enjoyed the support of fans, especially in the Black community. 'One thing that is different in this case than it is for Diddy is all the Black people were on O.J.'s side,' Bonner said. 'It was on the heels of (the 1991 beating by Los Angeles Police Department officers of) Rodney King and all of the civil unrest that had gone on regarding the mistreatment of Black people, especially Black men.' Both Simpson and Combs were also accused of domestic violence and in the case of Combs, some of his support slipped after CNN last year published a hotel surveillance video of him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, in 2016. Nicole Branca, chief executive officer of New Destiny Housing, a New York City nonprofit that provides housing and services to survivors of domestic violence and their children, said high-profile trials like these can be 'helpful to hold people accountable.' 'It's probably better that there's this much coverage because these are celebrities, these are people with a lot of money and a lot of attention and if (domestic violence is) happening to them, then maybe it makes it okay for people to speak out about their own experience,' she said. 'That's my hope. Do I know if that's happening? I don't, but the fact that people are more vocal about it these days and there are more laws being passed at the city, state, and federal level, makes me think that this contributes to that discourse.' Branca pointed to the New York City Council recently introducing a bill to train first responders in the detection of traumatic brain injuries – given that such injuries are common with domestic violence victims – as an indiction that authorities are taking the issue more seriously. Bonner, who has appeared on CNN to discuss the Combs case, said that while 'there's still a lot of victim shaming that goes on,' the cultural strides made in the past three decades likely made it easier for Ventura to file a civil suit against Combs in November 2023, which preceded a federal criminal investigation. Combs denied wrongdoing, and the two settled the lawsuit a day later. 'It's no longer acceptable that men are allowed to act in such a manner and get away with it. Women are no longer scared to come forward,' Bonner said. 'That's the reason why Cassie was able to bring this lawsuit because of the simple fact that the #MeToo movement gave women a voice.' Public awareness of the #MeToo movement gave rise as a hashtag in 2017, after Hollywood super producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault, but it was founded more than a decade prior by activist Tarana Burke. What followed after Weinstein were allegations against other men in powerful positions. Bonner said that when it comes to legal issues of the rich and the famous, 'we want a light, a look into the life of a celebrity.' 'In some instances it's a great equalizer because this person, now all of their business that is normally shrouded in secrecy, has come to the front,' she said. An estimated 150 million people reportedly watched Simpson's verdict in 1995. While the Combs trial has not been televised, the social media era has meant details of his alleged abuse of power and hours of trial testimony have been closely followed and discussed for months. 'It gives us a chance to weigh in on something that's completely not our business to talk about it,' Bonner said. 'It's in the zeitgeist.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heisman Trophy winner felt like someone in his family died when NFL career ended with Bills
The Buffalo Bills have seen four Heisman Trophy winners come and go. O.J. Simpson became a legend. Doug Flutie sparked magic. Reggie Bush faded out. Matt Leinart barely unpacked his bags and never played in a regular-season game. Advertisement The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and USC national champion spent just five days with the Bills in 2013. Leinart detailed how that brief and painful stop marked the end of his NFL career on a recent episode of his Throwbacks podcast. Buffalo signed Leinart on Aug. 25, 2013, in urgent need of quarterback depth. Rookie starter EJ Manuel and veteran Kevin Kolb were both injured. The team traded for Thad Lewis that same day and had undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel on the roster. Four days later, Leinart started the preseason finale against the Detroit Lions in Orchard Park. 'My last game in Buffalo, preseason game four, I threw three interceptions in the first half. I was 4-for-11. I stood on that sideline like someone passed away in my family, dude,' Leinart told co-host Jerry Ferrara, slightly off on the stats − he went 3-for-10 for 11 yards and two interceptions in a 35-13 loss. "I kept my helmet on so no one could see my face. I was embarrassed. Advertisement "I didn't cry. I was so embarrassed that was going to be my last time ever on a football field, and I just knew it." He was right. The Bills released Leinart the next day. Leinart was 30 years old at the time. Bills fans were more hopeful than he was about a career revival. "Honestly, the sad part is like they were so fired up I was there, like 'Yeah, you're going to revive your career here.' And I'm like guys they need an arm, pretty much," Leinart said. "I always wonder if I like went 10-for-11 with a touchdown if I would've made the roster." Aug 29, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Leinart (7) gets hit by Detroit Lions defensive end Israel Idonije (77) after a pass during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. There was real opportunity in Buffalo that season. Manuel sprained his knee in Week 5, forcing Lewis into the starting role. Bills backup quarterbacks started six of the team's 16 games. Tuel even made a start in Week 9. Advertisement Leinart holds no bitterness, only affection for the Bills. 'I saw firsthand, like Bills Mafia, how awesome their fans were and they treated me great for the first couple days,' he said. 'So that's why I was like, I love Buffalo.' Aug 29, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Leinart (7) during the first half against the Detroit Lions at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Leinart is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history. He led USC to two national titles, including the 2004 BCS Championship, and oversaw the Trojans' 34-game winning streak. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. The Arizona Cardinals selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Injuries cut short each of his first two seasons, and Kurt Warner eventually overtook him as the starter. Leinart later served as a backup with the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders before landing in Buffalo. Advertisement Bush, Leinart's teammate at USC and the 2005 Heisman winner, also ended his NFL career in Buffalo. He backed up LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee in 2016, finishing with 12 carries for minus-3 yards — the first non-quarterback in league history to end a season with negative rushing yards on double-digit attempts — along with seven receptions for 90 yards. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Matt Leinart reflects on heartbreaking end to his NFL career with Bills
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
O.J. Simpson's Bronco chase on June 17, 1994 — a photographic look back at the historic day in sports when the 'Juice got loose'
June 17, 1994, was a day that won't soon be forgotten, with four major sporting events set against the backdrop of the most infamous "sports" story in American history — the day the Juice got loose. Los Angeles — O.J. Simpson led police on an hour-long, low-speed car chase in a white Ford Bronco (driven by friend Al Cowlings) after learning he was being charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Chicago — Earlier in the day, the first World Cup ever held on American soil kicked off at Chicago's Soldier Field. The second U.S.-hosted World Cup is 359 days away. New York — Coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Rockets was interrupted by live updates of the car chase. New York won that game to take a 3-2 lead, but Houston won Games 6 and 7 to capture their first title. New York — Just a few miles south of Madison Square Garden, the Rangers had paraded down the Canyon of Heroes to celebrate winning their fourth (and most recent) Stanley Cup. Oakmont, Pennsylvania — A 64-year-old Arnold Palmer, who grew up in nearby Latrobe, gave a tearful goodbye during the final U.S. Open round of his career. He failed to make the cut at Oakmont, where Ernie Els won his first major in a three-man playoff. 🍿 Watch: 30 for 30: June 17, 1994 (Netflix)
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Today in History: June 17, O.J. Simpson charged with murder following highway chase
Today in history: On June 17, 1994, after leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was acquitted of the murders in a criminal trial in 1995, but held liable in a civil trial in 1997.) Also on this date: In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses. In 1885, the Statue of Liberty, disassembled and packed into 214 separate crates, arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French frigate Isère. In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which boosted U.S. tariffs to historically high levels, prompting foreign retaliation. In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, struck down, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or reading of biblical verses in public schools. In 1972, President Richard Nixon's eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s, Watergate complex. In 2008, hundreds of same-sex couples got married across California on the first full day that same-sex marriage became legal by order of the state's highest court; an estimated 11,000 same-sex couples would be married under the California law in its first three months. In 2015, nine Black worshippers were killed when a gunman opened fire during a bible study gathering at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, was captured the following day; he would be convicted on state and federal murder and hate crime charges and sentenced to death.) In 2021, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, left intact the entire Affordable Care Act, rejecting a major Republican-led effort to kill the national health care law known informally as 'Obamacare.' In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, creating the first new national holiday since the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Fox News
17-06-2025
- Fox News
Karen Read's verdict could come fast—or not: Here's what other cases show
A former Massachusetts financial analyst accused of killing her Boston cop boyfriend in a drunken hit-and-run is awaiting her fate after a second lengthy trial in a small courthouse in Dedham. Karen Read, 45, faces murder and other charges in the death of 46-year-old John O'Keefe, who had taken in his orphaned niece and nephew and appeared to want to end the relationship. Jurors spent just under two hours deliberating Friday and returned Monday for their first full day. "People are out there wondering why we don't have a verdict yet," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts trial attorney who is closely following the case. "I think the jury is working hard to understand the requirements of each count and working through them." Read's first trial ended in a hung jury last year after jurors went more than 25 hours over four days without reaching an agreement. Deliberations in other high-profile murder charges range from just hours to several days. OJ Simpson's 1990s double murder trial in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman took nine months to play out. The two were brutally stabbed to death outside Brown Simpson's luxe condo in Los Angeles. The former NFL star's legal "Dream Team" prevailed – and jurors found him not guilty in less than four hours. Simpson was found civilly liable and went to prison for an unrelated robbery more than a decade later. He died last year after a battle with cancer. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB A Florida mom accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, Casey Anthony was tried on charges of murder, manslaughter and aggravated child abuse in 2011. Caylee was missing for a month before her grandparents reported her missing. Jurors spent about 11 hours deliberating over two days before reaching an agreement on the charges. They found Anthony not guilty of killing or abusing her daughter, but they found her guilty of lying to police. To this day no one has been convicted of the child's death. In 2004, jurors convicted Scott Peterson of killing his pregnant wife Laci and dumping her in the San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve two years earlier. Their deliberations went on for seven days after a trial that took more than five months. Jurors initially handed him the death sentence for first-degree murder for Laci's death and second-degree murder for their unborn son, Conner. Peterson continues to maintain his innocence and is currently appealing his case for the third time. He had his death sentence overturned in 2020 and is serving life without parole. Formerly a prominent South Carolina attorney and family man, Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of gunning down his wife and younger son, Maggie and Paul. After a six-week trial – twice as long as initial estimates – jurors deliberated for less than three hours and found him guilty of both murders plus weapons charges. Murdaugh is currently serving consecutive life sentences. He is asking for a new trial after the court clerk on his case was charged with multiple felonies, including allegedly lying to a judge about Murdaugh's case. Although those trials have a wide range of both time and results, New York City defense attorney Louis Gelormino told Fox News Digital that the longer jurors deliberate in Dedham, the better things look for Read. "My first homicide trial was the longest deliberation in NYC, modern history, 9 days," he told Fox News Digital. "Hung Jury. Three months later, they tried him again, and we got an acquittal."
