O.J. Simpson begs Barack Obama to free him from jail because he thinks he has brain cancer. The 66-year-old former NFL star, behind bars for 33 years, is being tested for a cancerous tumour and is convinced he does not have long left to live. Get daily news by email. Convicted kidnapper OJ Simpson has written to Barack Obama begging to be freed from jail because he thinks he has brain cancer. The former NFL star, who is serving a 33-year jail sentence in Nevada, is undergoing medical exams for a cancerous tumour.