What Happened To Al Cowlings Since The O.J. Simpson Trial?
Many have seen the footage of O.J. Simpson's 1994 car chase, but you may not have known that it wasn't actually Simpson driving the white Ford Bronco through Los Angeles during the two-hour pursuit. The driver was his best friend, Al Cowlings, also known as A.C. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cowlings' involvement saw him become one of the key players in the high-profile murder trial that was to follow. However, in the years since the trial concluded, we've heard very little from him.
To recap, back in 1994, Cowlings contacted 911 to inform the LAPD where he and O.J. were headed, and to plead with the police to stop encroaching. As seen in footage published by CNN, he told the operator, "This is A.C., I have O.J. in the car ... Please, I'm coming up the 5 freeway ... Right now, we're all, we're okay, but you've got to tell the police to just back off. He's still alive, but he's got a gun to his head." Eventually, authorities caught up with Simpson at his home and arrested him for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman.
Of course, Cowlings' involvement in the hugely publicized car chase immediately involved him in the murder case, as well. However, while The Washington Post reported at the time that he was initially arrested for aiding a fugitive, nothing ever came of it — though he was ultimately subpoenaed at the trial that followed. In the decades since, Cowlings has seemingly tried to distance himself from Simpson and the spotlight. In fact, on the odd occasion that his involvement in the case has been brought up, he's been very clear that he wants no part in it.
Al Cowlings has refused to speak to the media post-trial
In 2014, veteran reporter Kyra Phillips acknowledged that Al Cowlings had remained a mystery to most post-trial. She also shared that she had attempted to speak with him in the hopes of getting some clarity some 20 years after the car chase, but that he wouldn't budge. "[I] dialed him up, he was not happy with me for about the first 10 minutes ... and said, 'I just want to be left alone. I'm not going to talk. I'm an old man ... and that's all I have to say,'" she recounted to CNN. Phillips added that no amount of cajoling changed that.
Speaking to reporters isn't the only thing Cowlings has been averse to over the years, though. Two years after Phillips shared that he had refused to speak with her about the trial, the mini-series "The People v. O.J. Simpson" was set for release, and Cowlings was not impressed that he would be featured in it. In fact, he was so angry about it that a spokesperson for him told TMZ that he was considering legal action against the creators of the show. Cowlings' concern was that his character would be called into question.
Granted, it seems Cowlings wasn't too fazed by his portrayal on "The People vs. O.J.," as the lawsuit never happened. One thing's for sure, though: He's not planning on speaking about the situation, ever.
OJ said he believed Al Cowlings might have CTE
Al Cowlings may have wanted to avoid press coverage himself, but in a 2018, O.J. Simpson gave a post-prison release interview, during which he shared something he believed may be going on with his friend. In the interview, Simpson mused that certain personality changes had him concerned that he may have been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
According to Mayo Clinic, CTE tends to affect those who play contact sports, with footballers being particularly prone to the condition — and as a former NFL teammate of Simpson's on both the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers, it's not unthinkable that Cowlings may have developed the disease. Speaking to The Buffalo News, Simpson pointed out, "My buddy A.C., my closest, oldest friend, I see he's short-tempered now ... A guy who has never been short-tempered." Sure enough, Mayo Clinic notes that struggling with emotions is often a symptom of CTE. However, CTE can only be confirmed via autopsy, meaning it can't be conclusively diagnosed while the sufferer is still alive.
In the wake of Simpson's death at the age of 76, Cowlings was photographed by Daily Mail reporters. However, true to form, he didn't engage with the press. If his past track record with the media is any indication, that's not likely to change anytime soon.