The body of O.J. Simpson will be cremated on Tuesday, and his brain will not be removed beforehand to be preserved for CTE research, according to Simpson’s estate executor, according to the New York Post.
Malcolm LaVergne, who has represented Simpson since 2009 and serves as the executor of the infamous former NFL star’s estate, says he has completed the necessary paperwork for cremation and that the family refused to allow Simpson’s brain to be included in a Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) study.
O. J. Simpson sits in Superior Court in Los Angeles on 08 December 1994 during an open court session where Judge Lance Ito denied a media attorney’s request to open court transcripts from a 07 December private meeting involving prospective jurors. (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
CTE is a degenerative brain disorder that is linked to athletes who suffer repeated brain trauma and concussions.
Some have linked the presence of CTE to depression, suicide, and violent behavior.
LaVergne says he has received multiple requests for Simpson’s brain for CTE research.
“With OJ, everything’s wild, but I’ve been getting calls from medical centers that are doing CTE testing asking me for OJ’s brain . . . that is not happening,” LaVergne asserted.
“I may consult with the children on it, but I haven’t heard anything about it, so it’s just not going to happen. OJ wants all of his body cremated for his children to do what they see fit.”
While LaVergne and a physician have signed off on Simpson’s cremation, the former player’s children have reportedly not yet signed off.
“Tuesday is the predicted . . . day that he will actually be cremated,” LaVergne said. “That’s what OJ wanted. Those are OJ’s wishes, and that’s what the kids are telling me.”
LaVergne did not indicate whether a funeral would be held. But, he did hold out the possibility of a private “celebration of life-type” ceremony at some point.
“Right now, there’s no specific plans for a funeral service,” LaVergne said. “There is, however, a possibility that there will be a celebration of life-type service at a later date and time, which will be limited to Mr. Simpson’s close circle of friends and family.”
Simpson died last week after a battle with prostate cancer. Some reports indicated he had been diagnosed with the disease in February. Although LaVergne has said he battled the disease for some time before succumbing to a resurgence of the cancer that began earlier this year.
In 1997, two years after he was acquitted of criminal homicide in the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, Simpson was found civilly liable for their deaths and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the families of the victims.
Fred Goldman (C), father of Ronald Goldman, his daughter Kim (L), and wife Patty listen to testimony during a preliminary hearing following the murders of Ronald and O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, July 7, 1994, in Los Angeles. (Lee Celano/WireImage)
LaVergne, however, vows to prevent the Goldmans from receiving any money.
“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” LaVergne said. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
