O.J. Simpson Once Asked out ‘Dirty John’ True Crime Podcast Subject

The real-life victim in the Dirty John true-crime podcast says O.J. Simpson asked her out on a date. Debra Newell talks about the encounter in her upcoming memoir Surviving Dirty John, saying that she met Simpson when his friend, former NFL star Marcus Allen began dating his sister Cindi Vickers, who was murdered by her estranged husband, Billy Vickers in 1984. Newell said when she first met Simpson, he was one of the most likable and popular celebrities on the planet” who was “charming and easygoing.”

“I’m sure I was one of thousands of women,” Newell told Page Six. “I’ll be honest with you: I saw right through him. I saw someone with a big ego and somebody that was fairly arrogant and a salesman.” Simpson was tried and acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Newell looked back at the infamous police chase involving Simpson before his arrest and realized then she was close to being a murder victim.

“‘Oh, my gosh, that could have possibly been me,’” Newell said. “I thought, ‘How do I let these men charm their way into my life?’” “Luckily, I didn’t let O.J., but I did let John.” Newell is referring to John Meehan, a nurse anesthetist and con man. After being together for only eight weeks, Newell and Meehan got married only to break up months later. However, Meehan began a journey of abuse and harassment, which ultimately led to Newell’s daughter, Terra killing him in self-defense.

Simpson currently lives in Las Vegas and recently spoke to The Athletic about his legacy. The Athletic ranked Simpson as the 41st best player in NFL history, but he knows that he is remembered for doing a number of things in his life.

“For years, I thought when I die,” Simpson says, “the first thing they’re going to say even before they talk about the Heisman and football is that he is the guy that ran through the airports for Hertz. Everybody knew me for that. Hertz, I felt, superseded my football. And then the younger kids got to know me through the ‘Naked Gun’ movies and called me Nordberg.” Simpson, 74, was a member of the Buffalo Bills (1969-1798) before moving on to the San Francisco 49ers (1979-1982). In his career, Simpson was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1973. As a running back, Simpson collected 11,236 yards and 61 touchdowns.