Cam Newton referencing O.J. Simpson on First Take isn’t a big deal, but expressing sympathy for his death was an interesting choice.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 6-6 on the season with a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon, First Take debated whether Mike Tomlin should lose his job as head coach. And while making his case about Tomlin, Newton noted the Steelers defense had just allowed its most rushing yards at home since O.J. Simpson ran for 227 yards against them in 1975.
“The last person to put up this much yards, God rest his soul, was O. J. Simpson, respectfully” – Cam Newton pic.twitter.com/0rvVowUW0h
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2025
“The last person to put up this much yards, God rest his soul, was O. J. Simpson, respectfully,” Newton said to Dan Orlovsky, Shae Cornette and Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
With context, Newton referencing Simpson the football player was warranted. But asking God to rest his soul was not. Newton easily could have made his point without expressing any sort of sympathy for Simpson, who died in 2024.
Simpson was one of the greatest football players ever, and because of that, his stats and accomplishments will continue to be cited. But even with those accomplishments, Simpson remains better known for being accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted in a criminal trial, but was later found liable for the deaths by a preponderance of evidence in a civil lawsuit.
Newton is not the first ESPN employee to pay their respects to Simpson, with Adam Schefter including the late NFL running back in his 2024 in memoriam post. The BET Awards similarly featured Simpson in their “in memoriam” segment in 2024, a decision Stephen A. Smith ripped as “classless.” More than a year later, Newton was on First Take saying, “God rest his soul” about Simpson in front of Smith.
