O.J. Simpson refuses to declare Tom Brady as GOAT athlete - “Certainly not”

O.J. Simpson took the opportunity to show up on Twitter and give his verdict on an important topic of discussion: who's the greatest athlete of all time?

And the former NFL running back, who made history by playing for the Buffalo Bills in the 70s, was clear about his feelings.

Even though he saw Tom Brady win seven Super Bowls, he doesn't think that the former quarterback belongs in the discussion, instead giving his vote to Carl Lewis, the former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals:

“In my case, from my opinion, I think running and jumping really defines an athlete. I wouldn’t call Tom Brady the greatest of all time despite seven Super Bowls. Greatest quarterback of all time maybe, certainly not the greatest athlete. To me, the greatest athlete that I saw was Carl Lewis.”

Lewis was a superstar athlete from the '80s who dominated in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump. His nine gold medals were divided through four Olympic games.

He got four in Los Angeles in '84, two in Seoul in '88, two in Barcelona in '92 and a final one in Atlanta in '94, also adding a silver medal in Seoul in '88.

O.J. Simpson's NFL career stats in review

The former running back played in the league for 11 seasons and was a big star during his time. He won the MVP award in 1973, the same year he won the Comeback Player of the Year award. Furthermore, he became the first player to eclipse the 2,000 rushing yards mark.

From 1972 to 1976, while playing for the Buffalo Bills, he was voted to the First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl all five years. He was one of the most dominant players of the 70s, leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns multiple times during that span.

However, O.J. Simpson remained in the spotlight once his career was over, for all the wrong reasons. The main controversy surrounded the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, who were both stabbed to death at her home. Simpson was later acquitted in a trial that lasted eight months.

However, in 2007, he was convicted after leading five men into an armed robbery in Las Vegas. He remained in prison until 2017 when he was released.