Outside the courtroom, Rocky thanked God and the jury for allowing him to be a free man ... telling reporters and fans he was happy to put the legal saga behind him.
Rihanna was there by Rocky's side, just as she was in court ... when he jumped into the gallery to hug her after the verdict was read.
Rihanna did not talk to reporters and after some brief comments from Rocky, the couple meandered through a throng of reporters and escaped in their black SUV.