O.J. Simpson will be a free man.

"Thank you," Simpson said after four members who conducted the hearing announced they were unanimous in their decision to grant his parole. He could be released as early as October 1.

The Board of Parole Commissioners in Nevada on Thursday granted the former football star his release from Lovelock Correctional Facility, where he has served almost nine years, approaching the minimum of a sentence of up to 33 years stemming his 2008 conviction on charges of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping after a confrontation about sports memorabilia.

Simpson, 70, spoke from Lovelock via video link and the four members of the seven-member board considering his parole, were in Carson City Nev.

The hearing drew live coverage and massive media attention. It started just after 10 a.m. and ended at about 11:18 Pacific time.

As the hearing wound down, Simpson was asked to make a final statement.

Among his remarks, he said: "I've done my time. I'd just like to get back to my family and friends. Believe it or not I do have real friends. ... I did my time, I tried to be helpful to everybody.

"I'm sorry. Thank you," were his final words to the board before they closed the hearing.

The board then adjourned and moved to another room to begin their deliberations. Where deliberations typically can take as long as a few weeks, board members noted they would reach a decision quickly.

With his parole granted by the board, Simpson could be released from prison as early as October.

Simpson's 2008 conviction came 13 years to the day after he was found not guilty by a jury in Los Angeles on charges he murdered his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.