O.J. Simpson granted parole after 9-year prison term

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 17: O.J. Simpson (C) and his defense attorneys Patricia Palm (L) and Ozzie Fumo (R) listen during an evidentiary hearing in Clark County District Court on May 17, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison as a result of his October 2008 conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping charges, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial, claiming he had such bad representation that his conviction should be reversed. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

O.J. Simpson had his parole hearing in the great state of Nevada on Thursday afternoon, and the board found grounds to grant him release come Oct. 2017.

After being in Nevada State Prison since being convicted of a dozen charges in 2008, Simpson came up for parole on Thursday in front of a national television audience. The parole board decided to grant Simpson his release come October, the first time he’s eligible to leave prison.

Simpson, 70, has long been one of America’s most talked-about figures. In the late 1960s, Simpson starred at the University of Southern California, earning the Heisman Trophy. In 1969, he became the first-overall selection in the NFL Draft, going to the Buffalo Bills.

In the NFL, Simpson started slow but became one of the greatest players of all-time. In 1973, Simpson ran for over 2,000 yards, becoming the first player to do so in league history. He remains the only player ever to achieve the feat in a 14-game schedule.

However, Simpson has become much more famous for horrific reasons. In June 1994, Simpson became the epicenter of one of the more high-profile murder cases in history. It was alleged that Simpson murdered ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, a California citizen. The case dragged out on the national stage, with Simpson eventually being found not-guilty of all charges in a very controversial decision. However, Simpson did lose the civil suit, and has to pay the Brown and Goldman families with future income.

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We don’t know the exact terms of the parole, but he is to be released as soon as he becomes eligible, which is October of this year. The decision will be talked about in the coming days, but Simpson now has another lease on life.

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