O.J. Simpson Granted Parole

O.J. Simpson was just granted parole and he'll be released from prison as early as October.

The NFL Hall of Famer learned his fate Thursday after Nevada's Board of Parole Commissioners deliberated for a half hour and made the determination. The earliest O.J. can be released from Lovelock Correctional Center is October 1.

The panel included the chairman and 3 commissioners. The board brought up O.J.'s 1995 acquittal, but only to say it did NOT factor into their decision.

No one testified against O.J. at the hearing ... and Bruce Fromong, one of the victims in the armed robbery, testified supporting O.J.'s release. O.J. said Bruce has already accepted his apology.

O.J. has served 9 years of a maximum 33-year prison sentence after he was convicted of armed robbery in 2008. You'll recall he was attempting to retrieve some of his memorabilia in Las Vegas but said he had no clue the crew he was rolling with was armed.

The 70-year-old apologized for the role he played in the robbery. He said he offered no excuses during his 9-year stay behind bars and would have no problem with any parole conditions imposed on him.

In 1995, O.J. was acquitted of murder charges in the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the so-called "Trial of the Century."