Social media calls for OJ Simpson's brain to be tested for CTE after admitting in 2018 he was 'concerned' he had the degenerative brain disease - which doctors found in autopsy of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez

Social media users have called for OJ Simpson's brain to be tested for CTE - the degenerative brain disease that has been found in numerous deceased former football players - now he has died.

It was announced on Thursday morning that the former NFL star, who was famously acquitted of murdering his former wife and her friend, had died at the age of 76.

The family announced on Simpson's official X account that he died Wednesday of prostate cancer. Simpson's attorney later confirmed that he died in Las Vegas. 

Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as 'The Juice' and ran behind an offensive line known as 'The Electric Company.'

He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards - the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark. 

Social media users have called for OJ Simpson's brain to be tested for CTE after his death

Simpson played 11 seasons as a rampaging running back in the NFL, nine of them with the Bills

But it remains to be seen just how his rampaging football career may have impacted his brain. In 2018, months after his release from prison, Simpson admitted he was 'concerned' that he may have had CTE.

Symptoms of CTE include memory loss, aggression, depression, anxiety and impaired judgement.

'I get concerned,' Simpson told The Buffalo News in Las Vegas. 

'I do recognize that it probably affects you in short-term memory more than long-term. I know with me, I have days I can't find words. I literally cannot find words or the name of somebody I know.

'That gets a little scary. Those days happen when I'm tired.

'I feel all right. But I have days when I can't... I lose words, and I can't come up with a simple word. I can't remember a phone number, so forget that.'

CTE - chronic traumatic encephalopathy - can only be diagnosed after death, but as the disease has gained notoriety, many football players have agreed to posthumously donate their brains for research. 

Now, in the wake of Simpson's death, social media users have speculated whether his brain could be tested.

One user wrote: 'In all seriousness I really hope OJ Simpson's family has his brain checked for signs of CTE, out of respect for the Brown and Goldman families, even for his own kids'.

Another commented: 'I hope OJ Simpson gave consent to allow his brain to be studied to see if he had CTE. My condolences to his children.'

'From the moment I started studying CTE, I've hypothesized that OJ Simpson showed all the classic hallmarks of the disease and that Nicole and Ronald Goldman may have been among its horrific toll,' added another. 'I hope his brain is examined and we learn more.'

Another person wrote: 'I hope they study OJ Simpson's brain to see if he suffered from CTE and if it impacted his violent behavior. What the NFL does to players is so wrong, and their families often suffer the consequences.'

Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots star who was convicted of murder before killing himself in prison, was found to have a severe case of CTE. 

In 2017, Dr. Ann McKee of the CTE Center at Boston University, said Hernandez had Stage 3 (out of 4) of the disease, which can cause violent mood swings, depression and other cognitive disorders.

'We're told it was the most severe case they had ever seen for someone of Aaron's age,' attorney Jose Baez said at the time.

Hernandez killed himself in April 2017 in the prison cell where he was serving a life-without-parole sentence for murder. 

Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez, who was convicted of murder, had a severe case of CTE

Baez said Hernandez had shown signs of memory loss, impulsivity and aggression that could be attributed to CTE.

Simpson's football legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Goldman in Los Angeles.

Live TV coverage of his arrest after a famous slow-speed chase marked a stunning fall from grace.

The jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5million to family members of Brown and Goldman.

A decade later, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.

Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor.