O.J. Simpson was quietly released from prison in the wee hours of Sunday morning in Nevada, after Simpson served nine years in connection with an armed robbery.

The release was timed to minimize media coverage, and news of Simpson’s freedom was shoved to the sidelines by late Sunday when news broke of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history, with at least 59 people killed and more than 500 others injured at a music festival in Las Vegas.

The mass shooting has been the chief focus of television news operations since late Sunday, but the sports talk shows set aside a little time to discuss the Simpson release — with one of the more pointed pieces being Stephen A. Smith’s “Final Take” this morning on “First Take,” in which the commentator connects some of the dots between the former football hero’s journey through the legal system and the current state of race in America and in sports.

You can watch Smith’s commentary below.

To watch another clip of interest to those following O.J. Simpson’s release, click here to see a brief exchange between Simpson and a reporter who caught up with O.J. at a gas station, posted by ESPN.

Here’s Stephen A. Smith on this morning’s “First Take” …