In March 1970, O. J. Simpson served as a witness in a landmark lawsuit brought by the family of a paralyzed football player against a major helmet manufacturer. Experts say his skillful performance in the stands helped the NFL avoid the dangers of CTE for decades.
Two years after winning the Heisman Trophy at the University of Southern California and one year after being drafted in the first round by the Buffalo Bills, Simpson was named to the defense team of Rawlings Sporting Goods.
The equipment maker was sued by Ernie Pelton’s family for $3.6 million, the first lawsuit of its kind to be presented to a jury. A former running back at Rio Linda High School in Sacramento, California, he was paralyzed from the neck down in 1967 due to a helmet-to-helmet collision.
Before he became a national celebrity, Simpson was already a local hero in his hometown of San Francisco, according to the Sacramento Bee, when he defended the Rawlings plastic helmet, which led to star-struck jurors. It is said that it fascinated the.
“I believe in this helmet,” said Simpson, who wore a Rawlings helmet as a running back for the Bills. testified in Sacramento County Superior Courtaccording to the newspaper.
“Every time I step on the field, I know there is a chance I could get hurt.”
When asked in the stands to read the warning label on the inside of Rawlings’ helmet, which read, “Players should avoid all intentional contact,” Simpson said, “We are making an effort, but… “I haven’t been successful,” he quipped.
Simpson also testified that he used a Rawlings helmet during his high school days in San Francisco. It was the same helmet he was wearing when Pelton suffered his life-altering injury.
Lawyers for Rawlings argued during the trial that “the game of football is at stake,” with one lawyer asking Simpson if he was aware of the risks inherent in the sport.
“If you don’t know, you’re probably pretty ignorant,” Simpson replied. “Every time I step on the field, I know that I can get hurt like the Pelton kid did.”
After Simpson’s testimony, the jury sent a note asking for a photo with Simpson. According to political journalist Melody Gutierrez’s account of the trial:.
The Sacramento Union newspaper published a photo on March 11, 1970 with the caption, “Simpson signs for jury.”
A few weeks later, a jury found in Rawlings’ favor. Simpson, who died on April 10 at the age of 76 and was cremated after his family refused to have his brain analyzed for concussive damage, left the NFL behind for generations because of its efforts to address the dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. helped pave the way for a verdict that would help defend the case. CTE or CTE, according to industry experts.
“If Pelton had won, it would have been devastating for the world of soccer,” said Robert Erb, CEO of helmet maker Schutt Sports from 2008 to 2020. “The NFL, NCAA and high school football needed relief.”
Kim Archie, a helmet liability expert, added: “Lawyers have become scared to take on other cases.”
In the years that followed, there were several victories against helmet manufacturers. In 1974, McGregor was ordered to pay $3.5 million by a Rhode Island jury for selling a defective helmet, but a judge later reduced the fine by 40%, finding that the youth player was partly responsible.
A year later, the family of a 13-year-old Indiana boy won $5.8 million from Rawlings because his helmet didn’t have a warning label.
But for the most part, helmet manufacturers and the NFL have been able to avoid significant financial damage for decades thanks to the Pelton decision.
“This reinforced that ‘the assumption of risk is in the player’s legal defense,'” Erb told the Post.
“If you want proof of how important that ruling was, you can look at the number of patents filed for new helmet designs in the years that followed. There was little development.”
The NFL continues to ignore, well into the 21st century, that many players are exposed to brain injuries from harsh helmet-to-helmet contact, primarily bone-breaking blows featured in their own NFL Films videos. It has grown to become the most popular sport in the country.
Rawlings finally stopped making helmets in 2015 after losing several lawsuits brought by families of youth soccer players who sustained head injuries.
That’s when the NFL stopped turning a blind eye to CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death. Symptoms include erratic impulsive behavior due to contusion of the brain from repetitive head trauma.
The tide began to turn as evidence emerged that the NFL had covered up research showing the effects of repeated head injuries, eroding claims that players knew the risks of playing football.
NFL stars like Dave Duerson of the Chicago Bears and Junior Seau of the San Diego Chargers were found to be suffering from CTE after their brains were analyzed after their tragic suicides.
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015, hanged himself in prison in 2017. Brain analysis revealed that he had CTE.
In 2018, Simpson told the Buffalo News that he was “concerned” he may have developed CTE during his career and admitted he has suffered two concussions.
“We know that it probably affects short-term memory more than long-term memory,” he says. “I know, but some days I just can’t find the words. . . . It’s kind of scary.”
Dr. Bennet Omalu is the doctor who made the connection between CTE and football and was played by actor Will Smith in the 2016 movie Concussion. He said he would put his medical license on the line, which Simpson suffered. From CTE.
Since then, the league has conducted laboratory tests to assess which helmets best reduce head impact injuries. An NFL spokesperson added that these tests replicate the unique impacts that players at each position are likely to experience on the field, and the league has approved safer helmets.
That’s still not enough, Erb said, pointing to the increase in concussions suffered by today’s players. He placed some of the blame on the league extending its season from 14 games in the early 1970s to its current 18-game format.
“The NFL is having as much trouble grinding meat as it did in the 1970s,” Erb said. “The NFL spends more money advertising safety and hosting dinners for neurologists than it does solving the problem.”
According to the league, there have been 20 total NFL games since the 1970s. The 1978 format featured four preseason games and 16 regular season games. In 2022, the format switched to three preseason games and 17 regular season games. An NFL spokesperson said the 20-game season is stable.
“The number of concussions in 2023 was roughly flat compared to the previous season,” an NFL spokesperson said, noting that it was significantly lower than the 2015-2017 baseline.
Meanwhile, the NFL’s change in attitude toward helmet safety came too late for Ernie Pelton and his family, who ended up caring for a quadriplegic for the next 50 years with little financial support. He died in 2007 after spending the rest of his life in a bed fitted with medical equipment.
The family has accused Simpson of siding with Rawlings.
“If OJ hadn’t testified, we would have won,” Pelton’s sister, Malinda Rakusky, told the Post. “Ernie didn’t get a fair trial because such a famous person testified against him.”
Industry experts said Mr. Simpson’s decision to take his brain’s secrets to the grave added fuel to the wound.
“I think the NFL is relieved. The last thing they needed was to know that O.J. has CTE. They don’t need that, they don’t want that,” Erb said. said.
Archie agreed.
“The donation of the brain of O.J., one of the most famous NFL Hall of Famers, to science could have had a huge impact on recognition,” she said. “That’s part of O.J.’s legacy. He was deceiving the public about safety as a member of football.”
Simpson’s attorney did not return calls.
