Rookie DE a free spirit for Dallas Cowboys
Faith and prayer carried Marcus Dixon through prison, and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime
02:06 AM CDT on Sunday, May 4, 2008
by Jean-Jacques Taylor
IRVING – An elaborate tattoo stretches from the top of Marcus Dixon's left shoulder nearly to his elbow and contains a passage from Revelations 20: 1-3.
On the inside of Dixon's left forearm, Psalms 91 is tattooed in cursive.
If you had been to hell and back like Dixon, you'd understand why he's permanently engraved religious passages on his body.
You'd understand why he reads Psalms 91 every morning before he brushes his teeth. And you would understand why the defensive end from Hampton University spends his free time reading the Bible.
Even if Dixon doesn't make the Cowboys' roster – any undrafted free agent is a long shot – he knows he'll be successful.
Anything less would be a disservice to the plethora of folks who helped him reclaim his life after trumped up charges in Lindale, Ga., resulted in Dixon spending nearly 15 months in prison after being convicted of statutory rape and child molestation as an 18-year-old high school senior.
"I stayed in the Word. I stayed prayed up," Dixon said. "I talked to my mom, and we prayed a lot on the phone, but it was a test every single day, and it's still a test.
"But my faith can't be broken. It's so strong, nothing can break it. It's always hard to have faith because you're tested every day. I was tested when I didn't get drafted. I could easily say, 'Lord, why didn't I get drafted?' But I'm happy to have this opportunity."
Dixon is blessed but changed.
He doesn't trust strangers much, and when he returns to Lindale, population 4,000, you'll either find him relaxing at the home of his legal guardians or his best friend's house.
"He thinks about what he's doing a lot more than he used to," said Jeremy Ferguson, who has known Dixon since both were in middle school.
"If we go somewhere, he'll want to know who's going to be there, because he knows if there's trouble, his name will get mentioned – even if he didn't do anything."
Life has always been a struggle for Dixon.
His father left when he was a youngster, and his mother battled drug addiction. His grandmother, Glenda Reynolds, raised him until he was 10.
That's when Dixon asked Ken Jones, who had coached him on his Little League all-star team, if he could move in with Jones and his family – wife, Peri, and son, Casey. Dixon had forged a friendship with Casey Jones that summer.
The Joneses are white.
When it comes to race relations for a tiny Georgia town stuck in the 1950s, that's a combustible mix.
"This is just a little redneck country town," Ferguson said.
As a senior, Dixon, also an outstanding student, signed a national letter of intent with Vanderbilt in 2003.
"I always felt like it was cool to make all A's and B's," said Dixon, whose high school GPA was close to 4.0. "I never thought it was cool to fail classes. I treated school like it was a football game."
Four days after signing with Vanderbilt, a 15-year-old white classmate accused him of raping her in an empty classroom. He said it was consensual sex.
Prosecutors charged Dixon with rape, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, sexual battery, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. Dixon, represented by a public defender who was handling his first defense case, was acquitted of rape, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and sexual battery.
All of that indicates the jury believed Dixon.
But according to state law, the girl was underage, and the jury found Dixon guilty of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. Statutory rape is a misdemeanor; aggravated child molestation is a felony that carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence.
Dixon believed his life was over. And it might have been without people like Atlanta attorney David Balser, who took Dixon's case pro bono after reading about it. And Rev. Terrell Shields, who led a protest and raised money for Dixon's defense team. And Hampton University president William R. Harvey, who enrolled Dixon in his school after Vanderbilt had rescinded its scholarship offer and other schools stayed away.
"I was told it was a slam dunk case against him, but after going to court and listening to the evidence, I found that not to be true," Shields said. "I spoke to the district attorney [Leigh Patterson], and she really lit a fire under me when she said, 'A person born at risk is destined to fail.' "
The story made national news. It was featured on Oprah, HBO's Real Sports and ESPN.
Dixon was imprisoned until the Georgia Supreme Court, ruling 4-3, said Dixon should have been prosecuted solely on the statutory rape charge, which carries a maximum one-year sentence. He was immediately released.
"I don't take anything for granted anymore," he said. "I don't take life for granted. I'm going to go out there and bust my butt. They'll probably have to tell me to go home."
Hard work has always been part of Dixon's profile.
Dixon, a regular on the dean's list at Hampton, became a starter midway through his freshman season and ended his career as a three-year captain, compiling six sacks his senior season. Most scouts figured he would be a late-round draft choice or a priority free agent.
Dixon, 6-4, 294 pounds, attended the NFL scouting combine and repeated his story to any coach or general manager who inquired.
"I wish people would get over it and stop talking about it, I'm not going to lie," Dixon said. "But if I make the team and the Pro Bowl, it would help a lot of people understand how to overcome adversity."
Marcus Dixon is trying to make the Dallas Cowboys' roster as an undrafted rookie defensive end.
With NFL teams placing so much emphasis on character these days, Dixon knew it was possible he might not get drafted.
"For a young man, he has been through a lot of life," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I know he wouldn't recommend it for anybody, but I've always thought that I'd rather be in a foxhole with people who've had some hard times."
Dixon has enjoyed every aspect of his first weekend with the Cowboys. He spent a portion of Thursday taking pictures of the locker room on his cell phone and e-mailing them to his mom.
"This is America's Team," he said. "I can't wait to see DeMarcus Ware. He's my favorite player."
In a couple of months, training camp will begin and Dixon will officially go about the business of making the team.
Perhaps, then, he'll give us another story.
02:06 AM CDT on Sunday, May 4, 2008
by Jean-Jacques Taylor
IRVING – An elaborate tattoo stretches from the top of Marcus Dixon's left shoulder nearly to his elbow and contains a passage from Revelations 20: 1-3.
On the inside of Dixon's left forearm, Psalms 91 is tattooed in cursive.
If you had been to hell and back like Dixon, you'd understand why he's permanently engraved religious passages on his body.
You'd understand why he reads Psalms 91 every morning before he brushes his teeth. And you would understand why the defensive end from Hampton University spends his free time reading the Bible.
Even if Dixon doesn't make the Cowboys' roster – any undrafted free agent is a long shot – he knows he'll be successful.
Anything less would be a disservice to the plethora of folks who helped him reclaim his life after trumped up charges in Lindale, Ga., resulted in Dixon spending nearly 15 months in prison after being convicted of statutory rape and child molestation as an 18-year-old high school senior.
"I stayed in the Word. I stayed prayed up," Dixon said. "I talked to my mom, and we prayed a lot on the phone, but it was a test every single day, and it's still a test.
"But my faith can't be broken. It's so strong, nothing can break it. It's always hard to have faith because you're tested every day. I was tested when I didn't get drafted. I could easily say, 'Lord, why didn't I get drafted?' But I'm happy to have this opportunity."
Dixon is blessed but changed.
He doesn't trust strangers much, and when he returns to Lindale, population 4,000, you'll either find him relaxing at the home of his legal guardians or his best friend's house.
"He thinks about what he's doing a lot more than he used to," said Jeremy Ferguson, who has known Dixon since both were in middle school.
"If we go somewhere, he'll want to know who's going to be there, because he knows if there's trouble, his name will get mentioned – even if he didn't do anything."
Life has always been a struggle for Dixon.
His father left when he was a youngster, and his mother battled drug addiction. His grandmother, Glenda Reynolds, raised him until he was 10.
That's when Dixon asked Ken Jones, who had coached him on his Little League all-star team, if he could move in with Jones and his family – wife, Peri, and son, Casey. Dixon had forged a friendship with Casey Jones that summer.
The Joneses are white.
When it comes to race relations for a tiny Georgia town stuck in the 1950s, that's a combustible mix.
"This is just a little redneck country town," Ferguson said.
As a senior, Dixon, also an outstanding student, signed a national letter of intent with Vanderbilt in 2003.
"I always felt like it was cool to make all A's and B's," said Dixon, whose high school GPA was close to 4.0. "I never thought it was cool to fail classes. I treated school like it was a football game."
Four days after signing with Vanderbilt, a 15-year-old white classmate accused him of raping her in an empty classroom. He said it was consensual sex.
Prosecutors charged Dixon with rape, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, sexual battery, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. Dixon, represented by a public defender who was handling his first defense case, was acquitted of rape, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and sexual battery.
All of that indicates the jury believed Dixon.
But according to state law, the girl was underage, and the jury found Dixon guilty of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. Statutory rape is a misdemeanor; aggravated child molestation is a felony that carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence.
Dixon believed his life was over. And it might have been without people like Atlanta attorney David Balser, who took Dixon's case pro bono after reading about it. And Rev. Terrell Shields, who led a protest and raised money for Dixon's defense team. And Hampton University president William R. Harvey, who enrolled Dixon in his school after Vanderbilt had rescinded its scholarship offer and other schools stayed away.
"I was told it was a slam dunk case against him, but after going to court and listening to the evidence, I found that not to be true," Shields said. "I spoke to the district attorney [Leigh Patterson], and she really lit a fire under me when she said, 'A person born at risk is destined to fail.' "
The story made national news. It was featured on Oprah, HBO's Real Sports and ESPN.
Dixon was imprisoned until the Georgia Supreme Court, ruling 4-3, said Dixon should have been prosecuted solely on the statutory rape charge, which carries a maximum one-year sentence. He was immediately released.
"I don't take anything for granted anymore," he said. "I don't take life for granted. I'm going to go out there and bust my butt. They'll probably have to tell me to go home."
Hard work has always been part of Dixon's profile.
Dixon, a regular on the dean's list at Hampton, became a starter midway through his freshman season and ended his career as a three-year captain, compiling six sacks his senior season. Most scouts figured he would be a late-round draft choice or a priority free agent.
Dixon, 6-4, 294 pounds, attended the NFL scouting combine and repeated his story to any coach or general manager who inquired.
"I wish people would get over it and stop talking about it, I'm not going to lie," Dixon said. "But if I make the team and the Pro Bowl, it would help a lot of people understand how to overcome adversity."
Marcus Dixon is trying to make the Dallas Cowboys' roster as an undrafted rookie defensive end.
With NFL teams placing so much emphasis on character these days, Dixon knew it was possible he might not get drafted.
"For a young man, he has been through a lot of life," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I know he wouldn't recommend it for anybody, but I've always thought that I'd rather be in a foxhole with people who've had some hard times."
Dixon has enjoyed every aspect of his first weekend with the Cowboys. He spent a portion of Thursday taking pictures of the locker room on his cell phone and e-mailing them to his mom.
"This is America's Team," he said. "I can't wait to see DeMarcus Ware. He's my favorite player."
In a couple of months, training camp will begin and Dixon will officially go about the business of making the team.
Perhaps, then, he'll give us another story.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:20 PM
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