After serving nine years in prison for armed robbery, O.J. Simpson is officially a free man. The former football legend was released from the Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada at 12:08AM PT on Sunday (Oct. 1).

A state prison spokeswoman Brooke Keast told The Associated Press that Simpson was greeted by an awaiting vehicle outside of the facility and she didn’t know where he was headed in his first hours of freedom. "I don't have any information on where he's going," said Keast, who watched as Simpson signed documents and was released.

Her department also released video on social media of Simpson being told to "come on out" by a prison staffer, exiting through an open door. He could be seen responding "OK" as he left, wearing a ball cap, denim jacket, jeans and white tennis shoes.

Tom Scotto, a close friend of Simpson who lives in Naples, Fla., told AP via text message that he was with Simpson following his release but didn't reveal their whereabouts.

The 70-year-old Simpson was granted parole back in July after a hearing that featured emotional testimonies from his daughter, Arnelle, and Bruce Fromong, a friend of Simpson and the only surviving victim of the 2007 armed robbery, of which Simpson was serving time for.

Simpson told the parole board that he’d like to go back to Florida and raise his grandchildren. “I can easily stay in Nevada, but I don’t think you guys want me here,” he said with a chuckle.

Keast said that releasing Simpson from Lovelock at the dead of night was necessary in order to avoid media attention. "We needed to do this to ensure public safety and to avoid any possible incident," she said.

Watch O.J. Simpson's release video above.

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