Marcus Dixon, the Steelers, and the 2008 NFL Draft
By Michael J.W. Stickings
Update 1: Marcus Dixon was not drafted. Scouts Inc. ranks him seventh among undrafted DEs. As expected, then, he could get an invitation to a pre-season camp as a rookie free agent. Hopefully some team is willing to give him a shot -- preferably more than one. He deserves it.
Update 2: Dixon has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys, one of the Steelers' arch-nemeses. I wish him the very best (even as I don't wish the very best for the 'Boys). For more, see his Wikipedia entry. For more on the Cowboys' draft and related news, see The Dallas Morning News.
Update 3: For more, see Todd Archer at the DMN's Cowboys blog. It's good to hear that the team was "aggressive" in trying to acquire Dixon (and that it would have drafted him in the seventh round if it had had a pick left).
**********
I'm not a huge college football fan, but I'll be paying close attention to the 2008 NFL Draft today. Specifically, I'll be paying close attention to what the Steelers do. I've read far too many mock drafts and far too many player analyses and far too many pre-draft articles for my own good, and I'm a frequent visitor to the Steelers pages at the Post-Gazette and, to a lesser extent, the Tribune-Review (even if it is Dick Scaife's rag).
Prediction for the Steelers in Round 1: Gosder Cherilus, (OT - Boston College).
Although the PG's Ed Bouchette thinks it'll be Kentwan Balmer (DT - North Carolina).
Other possibilities: Jerod Mayo (LB - Tennessee), Calais Campbell (DE - Miami), and Jonathan Stewart (RB - Oregon).
However, Stewart will likely be gone by the time the Steelers pick at #23. So, too, others, all O-linemen, I'd love to see in black and gold: Branden Albert (G/T - Virginia), Jeff Otah (OT - Pittsburgh), Ryan Clady, (OT - Boise State), and Chris Williams (OT - Vanderbilt).
I know the NFL Draft is overhyped and overdramatized, but it's still an exciting event.
Update: Well, no Cherilus or Balmer, but... wow! Rashard Mendenhall (RB - Illinois) and Limus Sweed (WR - Texas) with their first two picks. Two awesome offensive weapons. Sure, they still need help on the DL and, to a lesser extent, on the OL, but there was no way they could pass up these guys (both of whom fell into their lap). And they ended up with some solid players in later rounds, too: Bruce Davis (LB - UCLA), Tony Hills (OT - Texas), Dennis Dixon (QB - Oregon), Mike Humpal (LB - Iowa), and Ryan Mundy (S - West Virginia).
See Ed Bouchette's Q&A here.
**********
Anyway, regardless of what the Steelers do today, one player I'll be rooting for is Marcus Dixon, a DE from Hampton. He may not be drafted, either Saturday or Sunday, and, if not, he may end up a rookie free agent.
He's a solid, if unexceptional, player. But his story is incredible.
Dixon spent 15 months in prison for aggravated child molestation and statutory rape. Actually, though, he didn't do anything wrong. When he was 18, he had sex with a 15-year old. It was consensual, but the girl, likely pressured by her racist father (in a small racist town in Georgia), claimed he had raped her. He was acquitted of rape and other charges -- the jury determined it was consensual sex -- but the prosecutors (also racist?), seeking a major conviction, got him on child molestation, which they had added to the list of charges only to ensure that he would be handed a long prison sentence.
The rest is a long story, but one that ends with justice triumphant.
His story became a cause célèbre in the media, and, at long last, in May 2004, upon a favourable ruling by the George Supreme Court, he was released from prison.
And he went to Hampton to study and play football.
For more, read Greg Garber's fantastic piece on Dixon at ESPN.com -- seriously, read it.
Is there a happy ending to Dixon's story? Yes -- regardless of what happens this weekend, regardless of whether he makes it to the NFL or not.
Marcus Dixon is a good and admirable young man -- and, with all that he's been through, the victim of injustice, one wishes for him only the best.
Maybe he'll even end up with the Steelers.
Update 1: Marcus Dixon was not drafted. Scouts Inc. ranks him seventh among undrafted DEs. As expected, then, he could get an invitation to a pre-season camp as a rookie free agent. Hopefully some team is willing to give him a shot -- preferably more than one. He deserves it.
Update 2: Dixon has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys, one of the Steelers' arch-nemeses. I wish him the very best (even as I don't wish the very best for the 'Boys). For more, see his Wikipedia entry. For more on the Cowboys' draft and related news, see The Dallas Morning News.
Update 3: For more, see Todd Archer at the DMN's Cowboys blog. It's good to hear that the team was "aggressive" in trying to acquire Dixon (and that it would have drafted him in the seventh round if it had had a pick left).
**********
I'm not a huge college football fan, but I'll be paying close attention to the 2008 NFL Draft today. Specifically, I'll be paying close attention to what the Steelers do. I've read far too many mock drafts and far too many player analyses and far too many pre-draft articles for my own good, and I'm a frequent visitor to the Steelers pages at the Post-Gazette and, to a lesser extent, the Tribune-Review (even if it is Dick Scaife's rag).
Prediction for the Steelers in Round 1: Gosder Cherilus, (OT - Boston College).
Although the PG's Ed Bouchette thinks it'll be Kentwan Balmer (DT - North Carolina).
Other possibilities: Jerod Mayo (LB - Tennessee), Calais Campbell (DE - Miami), and Jonathan Stewart (RB - Oregon).
However, Stewart will likely be gone by the time the Steelers pick at #23. So, too, others, all O-linemen, I'd love to see in black and gold: Branden Albert (G/T - Virginia), Jeff Otah (OT - Pittsburgh), Ryan Clady, (OT - Boise State), and Chris Williams (OT - Vanderbilt).
I know the NFL Draft is overhyped and overdramatized, but it's still an exciting event.
Update: Well, no Cherilus or Balmer, but... wow! Rashard Mendenhall (RB - Illinois) and Limus Sweed (WR - Texas) with their first two picks. Two awesome offensive weapons. Sure, they still need help on the DL and, to a lesser extent, on the OL, but there was no way they could pass up these guys (both of whom fell into their lap). And they ended up with some solid players in later rounds, too: Bruce Davis (LB - UCLA), Tony Hills (OT - Texas), Dennis Dixon (QB - Oregon), Mike Humpal (LB - Iowa), and Ryan Mundy (S - West Virginia).
See Ed Bouchette's Q&A here.
**********
Anyway, regardless of what the Steelers do today, one player I'll be rooting for is Marcus Dixon, a DE from Hampton. He may not be drafted, either Saturday or Sunday, and, if not, he may end up a rookie free agent.
He's a solid, if unexceptional, player. But his story is incredible.
Dixon spent 15 months in prison for aggravated child molestation and statutory rape. Actually, though, he didn't do anything wrong. When he was 18, he had sex with a 15-year old. It was consensual, but the girl, likely pressured by her racist father (in a small racist town in Georgia), claimed he had raped her. He was acquitted of rape and other charges -- the jury determined it was consensual sex -- but the prosecutors (also racist?), seeking a major conviction, got him on child molestation, which they had added to the list of charges only to ensure that he would be handed a long prison sentence.
The rest is a long story, but one that ends with justice triumphant.
His story became a cause célèbre in the media, and, at long last, in May 2004, upon a favourable ruling by the George Supreme Court, he was released from prison.
And he went to Hampton to study and play football.
For more, read Greg Garber's fantastic piece on Dixon at ESPN.com -- seriously, read it.
Is there a happy ending to Dixon's story? Yes -- regardless of what happens this weekend, regardless of whether he makes it to the NFL or not.
Marcus Dixon is a good and admirable young man -- and, with all that he's been through, the victim of injustice, one wishes for him only the best.
Maybe he'll even end up with the Steelers.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
2:00 PM
12 Comments:
Thanks for being yet another no-it-all liberal idiot. Why does a father, a town or even a region have to be racist when a black man has sex with a 15 year old girl at school? Do the facts change if he were white? In Georgia, consent is not the issue. A child cannot agree to do that which is against the law. He was acquitted. I agree. An acquittal does not equate innocence. Please don't presume to be judge and jury.
By
Anonymous, at 6:09 PM
What's a "no-it-all" liberal?
It's awfully naive to think racism had nothing to do with how Dixon was treated.
And you know what? He has the Georgia Supreme Court behind him. I'm just reporting what happened.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 9:20 PM
If Mr. Wilder had taken the time to actually read the background on the case, he would have realized that race did, in fact, play an extremely large role in the case, and it was concluded by many that if the defendant had been white the outcome would have been significantly different. See, that's what us know-it-alls do - we research things. Like case files. And grammar.
- John
By
Anonymous, at 12:58 AM
Don't be so fucking stupid folks! It was God's doing that Marcus got out of that because it was all left up to God and if he was totally wrong and really did rape the white trashy girl, then GOD would of made sure he suffered! Duhhhhh............ Don't be so fucking stupid! If anybody has a problem with the outcome of Mr. Marcus Dixon's case, question God, Jesus Christ about it because the last judgement was left up to the Lord up above! She shouldn't of been so damn hot anyway and she just wanted to mess up his career but thanx to her and her dumb ass prejuidice poor white trash daddy, they just made him FAMOUS! The daddy was mad because his wife left him for a black man but what he needs to realize, is once you go black, you will not go back!! Including his daughter!!!!!!!!
By
Anonymous, at 4:39 PM
Please pardon me for my grammatical error. I realized what I had done after I posted my comment. I have nothing against Marcus Dixon or the girl involved. I don't know either of them personally. I'm sure you guys don't either. My problem is with the media and subjective thinkers that soak up whatever they hear rather than seek the truth. Why is Rome, GA a racist town? Because it punishes those who break the law? John, who are the "many" that based a conclusion on a hypothetical situation. Doesn't the fact that you chose the word "many" over the word "all" imply that there are also "many" who would disagree with your conclusion? How exactly do you go about deciding how the case would have turned out if Marcus were white? Is that what you call "research"? The fact of the matter is that the law in Georgia prohibits sex with anyone under the age of 16. Black, white, blue or purple does not matter. Is race the best defense you people can come up with. I haven't heard "I didn't do it", or "I'm innocent". The only thing I hear from you people is that if you make a mistake (and all of us do), and your black, it is O.K. Marcus Dixon is not the issue here. I truly believe most of you commenting on this page truly expect to come to Georgia and see white people cracking the whip on their slaves to get them to pick the cotton faster. That is not what happens here. Let it go!
By
Anonymous, at 11:20 AM
We were just having fun with you, Scott. No offence.
I'm not sure what would have happened if Dixon were white. Maybe the DA would have tacked on child molestation, too. Basically, that was where the problem was. He could have been convicted solely on the statutory rape charge under Georgia law. Thankfully, that law has been changed, but I take your point. It was the law at the time.
I certainly don't think everyone down there is a racist. I have a lot of family in Alabama -- one quarter of my family, actually, is from there or thereabouts, and I've been down there a number of times.
In this case, though, there does seem to be a racial element. Now, nothing can be proven, but Dixon and his family suspect as much, and there is speculation that the girl's father is a racist. Consider her concern that he would find out about what happened, then how she claimed she had been raped even after what she later admitted was consensual sex. Had she been pressured by her father? It seems quite possible.
Anyway, Scott, there was no intention here to disparage Georgia or the south generally.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 11:32 AM
Why is Rome a RACIST town? Actually Lindale? I grew up there and I am very offended by that stupid remark. Lindale is NOT a racist town, people need to know what the hell they are talking about before they go running their dick suckers! I don't even know why that would even be brought up.
By
Anonymous, at 1:32 PM
It is a town with racism in it. Dixon and his family certainly think so.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:49 PM
Do you know his parents are white?
By
Anonymous, at 11:16 AM
Yes, of course. And they were the targets of racists, too. It seems that he was never full accepted by some as their child. (Of course, such racism is not to be found only in Georgia or only in that town.) And they seem to think that racism was behind the charges -- or at least behind the accusation and how the prosecutors handled the case.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 11:36 AM
"then how she claimed she had been raped even after what she later admitted was consensual sex."
She never said it was consensual. You need to read the Georgia Supreme Court ruling. Chief Justice Norman Fletcher's decision notes that Dixon's acquittal on a rape charge "means only that the State failed to prove the element of force beyond a reasonable doubt, and not that the activity was wholly consensual."
Dixon’s documented record of sexual misconduct at Pepperell High School was surely the main reason prosecutors felt confident they could convict him of rape. School disciplinary records indicated that on March 12, 2001, Dixon exposed himself to a girl in English class, and that on April 23, 2002, Dixon molested a freshman girl on the Pepperell track team (put his hand down the front of her shorts). Indecent exposure and sexual assault are crimes. Georgia law requires that school officials report sex crimes to law enforcement. Apparently, Pepperell officials didn’t believe that law covered star athletes, and so the incidents were handled “in-house.” But prosecutors said the disciplinary records (evidence which Dixon’s lawyers tried to have suppressed) demonstrated that Dixon was a “sexual predator.” So go ahead and root for him. Maybe he doesn't belong in jail, I don't know, but he doesn't sound like someone to be "rooting" for.
By
Anonymous, at 12:58 PM
Bill is right
By
Unknown, at 4:49 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home