Former football legend O.J. Simpson became a free man Sunday after serving nine years for a botched hotel room heist in Las Vegas that brought the conviction and prison time he avoided in the killings of his wife and her friend after his 1995 acquittal. 

A Nevada prison official confirmed that he was released around midnight local time Sunday, according to The Associated Press. 

When Simpson was granted parole, officials set October 1 as the earliest possible date for his release. 

Close friend Tom Scotto, who lives in Naples, Florida, has offered to have Simpson live at his house, but he has not responded to messages from The Associated Press in recent days about whether a plan was finalized.