Some attendees at Sunday's BET Awards were taken by surprise when O.J. Simpson, the former NFL star and actor, was among those featured in the In Memoriam segment of the show.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a "noticeable silence fell over the crowd" when Simpson's image was displayed. Aside from his athletic and cinematic feats, Simpson, who passed away in April from metastatic cancer, leaves behind a troubling legacy. Simpson was the primary suspect in a 1994 double homicide that saw the brutal slaying of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, the 30th anniversary of which was on June 12. Following a highly publicized trial, Simpson was acquitted; however, in 1997, the former running back was found liable for both killings in a civil suit filed by the victims' families and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.
