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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Andrew Gamble

OJ Simpson undergoes emergency heart surgery as disgraced NFL star's health deteriorates

Doctors have inserted a stent into the heart of disgraced NFL player O.J. Simpson as he faces a serious health battle.

According to RadarOnline.com, Simpson’s health rapidly deteriorated and doctors feared the worst before placing the stent in his heart during emergency surgery. The device is designed to keep arteries clear, and its insertion helped Simpson survive the encounter.

The surgery was reportedly a success with the 75-year-old believed to be in stable condition while in the care of doctors. He was filmed in a video posted online on July 4 where the former running back looked healthy.

However, he originally appeared so fragile after the emergency surgery that his son Justin gave up his lucrative real-estate business in Florida to move to Las Vegas in order to be with his father. Justin was born to Simpson and Nicole Brown, who died in the 1994 homicide, and he supported his father despite the accusations against him.

Simpson’s former manager Norman Pardo recently suggested the former running back’s health has steadily worsened in recent times. Pardo told RadarOnline.com : “The doctors want him to rest at home because there isn’t much they can do for him.”

Pardo added: “Now he can’t even finish a round of golf – I don’t even think he golfs anymore because he can't even finish a half a round of golf two months ago when I was talking to him.”

Simpson played in the NFL for 11 seasons and was one of the defining stars of his generation. He won the coveted MVP award in 1973, a year he also claimed the Comeback Player of the Year award.

O.J. Simpson is heralded as one of the all-time great running backs in NFL history (Getty Images)

He also etched himself in league history by becoming the first player to eclipse the 2,000 rushing yards mark. Simpson truly dominated the NFL between 1972 and 1976, voted a member of the First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl all five seasons.

Simpson became arguably more renowned for the controversial murder of his former wife and her friend Ron Goldman. The duo were both stabbed to death at her home, and Simpson was later acquitted in a high-profile trial that lasted eight months. Simpson was later found responsible the deaths of Brown and Goldman in a civil trial that began in 1996. The victims families were awards $33.5 million (£26.09m) in damages.

In 2007, Simpson was convicted after leading five men into an armed robbery in Las Vegas. He was released in 2017 after being originally sentenced to 33 years in prison..

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