Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of domestic abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
O.J. Simpson is among the most popular NFL stars of all time. However, his success in football and acting was overshadowed when his controversial personal life and “trial of the century” took over the headlines. Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, his ex-wife, and her friend, Ron Goldman. The documentary The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson was released earlier this year and also mentions Simpson’s ex-wife, Marguerite Whitley.
OJ Simpson reportedly met Nicole Brown while he was still married to Whitley in 1977, reported The U.S. Sun. Meanwhile, the NFL star met his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, when they were in high school. Whitley was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Two years after dating, she and Simpson got married in 1967. The two were still college students at the time. However, Whitley first filed for divorce in the mid-1970s but eventually called it off for the sake of their children. She filed for divorce again in 1979, two years after Simpson met Nicole Brown. Whitley and Simpson had split a year before and started living separately.
OJ Simpson’s ex-wife: Did he abuse Marguerite Whitley?
Per People Magazine, a former Los Angeles police officer claimed in The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson documentary that OJ Simpson was physically abusive towards Marguerite Whitley. In the 1970s, Terry Shauer responded to a report of domestic violence at Simpson and Whitley’s home. During an argument, Simpson allegedly “became violent with her, struck her, and as I recall, pulled out some of her hair,” said Shauer. He added that “there was a clump of hair on the floor” in the home’s entryway.
The former officer noted that the couple’s children were present and “seemed overly upset.” Shauer continued by saying that Whitley was also upset when her husband left the scene. Moreover, she didn’t want to go into details and refused to report the incident. “She just wanted to leave the house,” claimed Shauer. Whitley later identified herself as Marguerite Simpson after confirming that her husband was the football player O.J. Simpson.
However, according to The U.S. Sun, Whitley shut down rumors of abuse in 1995. She said that Simpson had never hit her during their relationship.
The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson is available to watch on Lifetime.
