After nine years in prison, O.J. Simpson out on parole

Former National Football League (NFL) star O.J. Simpson was granted parole by a Nevada parole board, for his role in a 2007 armed robbery.

Simpson and an associate were convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for attempting to steal pieces of Simpson sports memorabilia at gunpoint.

During the hearing, Simpson pleaded that he'd been a model prisoner, and promised that he'd have no conflicts if released.

"I've done my time. I've done it as well and as respectfully as I think anyone can," CNN quoted him as saying.

Simpson has served nine years of a nine-to-33-year sentence for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas and is expected to be released as early as October.

He maintained his stand against taking full responsibility for that Vegas crime and avoided any mention of his infamous 1995 acquittal for the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

The four parole board members voted unanimously to grant him parole, and board member Tony Corda said he was graded a "low risk to reoffend," to which Simpson smiled, and said "thank you".

Simpson qualified for a number of mitigating factors that supported his early parole and has been discipline free during imprisonment, Bisbee said Thursday.

Among the many mitigating factors which made Simpson qualify for early parole, was that he seemed to have a have a stable post-release plan.

Simpson said in closing remarks that he had been a peacemaker in the prison and had been a model prisoner.

"I've spent nine years making no excuses about anything. I am sorry that things turned out the way they did. I had no intent to commit a crime.