O.J. Simpson Hopes Elon Musk Can Get Him Verified on Twitter

O.J. Simpson, a former NFL star who was acquitted of double-murder in 1995, congratulated Elon Musk on the Tesla CEO's recent acquisition of Twitter. He also made a personal request to have his account verified.

"Congratulations to @elonmusk Maybe now I can get @verified," Simpson wrote on Twitter Friday in a post that also contained a video in which he discussed Musk's Twitter takeover.

On Thursday, Musk completed his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter. He originally made the proposal to become the social media platform's new owner in April, but he later tried to back out of the deal. He cited Twitter underreporting the amount of fake accounts and bots on the platform for his decision to halt the plan, but Twitter sued in an attempt to compel Musk to follow through with the purchase. Musk countersued before announcing in October that he would honor his $44 billion deal, which he completed on Thursday.

"Hey, Twitter world! It's me, yours truly. Let me start off the day by congratulating Elon Musk [for] taking over Twitter," Simpson said in the video he posted. "Maybe I can get authenticated. Maybe I can get a blue check. I've tried for years to get that blue check, because there's so many fake O.J. Simpson accounts."

Simpson continued, "From time to time, people would say, 'Why did you say this?' And I say, 'I didn't say it. That was one of those fake accounts.' I'm sure a lot of people probably deal with that. So maybe that will come to an end."

In addition to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Simpson achieved success off the football field as well, appearing in supporting roles in Hollywood hits like The Towering Inferno (1974) and The Naked Gun trilogy (1988, 1991 and 1994).

For many people, though, he is best remembered for being the prime suspect in the 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was ultimately acquitted of the double-murder, but he was held liable in 1997 in a civil lawsuit over the deaths.

Simpson later received a prison sentence of nine to 33 years following a 2008 robbery conviction in Nevada. Simpson was released on parole in 2017 after serving nine years, and his parole ended two months early in December 2021 because of good behavior.

Simpson regularly posts videos on Twitter, where he often shares his feelings on current events related to the NFL. He occasionally discusses other topics, including politics, and he made headlines in 2021 when he voiced support for Republican Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Newsweek reached out to Musk for comment.