Texas Justice

NOT LONG AGO Marcus Dixon's NFL aspirations were a virtual pipe dream, one he lived out through his PlayStation console. Given a copy of Madden NFL 08 last Christmas, Dixon created an avatar in his own 6'4", 284-pound image and plugged it into the Dallas Cowboys' defensive line.

In an unlikely twist, Dixon's digital fantasy has become reality. After going undrafted out of Division I-AA Hampton in April, he signed a three-year, $1.1 million nonguaranteed deal, one that further extends a new lease on a life that almost came to ruin five years ago. In the spring of 2003 Dixon was an 18-year-old blue-chip senior defensive lineman at Pepperell High in Lindale, Ga., a star on the gridiron and in the classroom. He was on track to deliver the valedictory speech on graduation day and enroll at Vanderbilt the next fall. All of that came crashing down after a 15-year-old student accused him of sexually assaulting her on school grounds. Dixon claimed the sex was consensual. A jury acquitted Dixon, who is black, of rape, but because the girl, who is white, was under 16, he was found guilty of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation—the latter a felony that carried a mandatory 10-year prison sentence.

The case stoked simmering racial tensions in Dixon's hometown of Rome, Ga., where his adoptive white parents (who rescued him at age 10 from a biological mother who battled drug addiction) were demonized for spearheading his defense. Dixon served 15 months at a medium security facility; in May 2004 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that he should have been tried only on the misdemeanor statutory rape charge. The molestation conviction was overturned, and Dixon was freed.

Dixon, who completed his GED in prison, enrolled at Hampton and picked up where he left off on the football field. He was twice all-conference and impressed scouts at February's combine, where he ran a 5.2 40. Dixon wasn't drafted, but several teams were interested in signing him as a free agent. He chose Dallas, which has of late become a sanctuary for players with troubled pasts. Dixon, 23, has impressed coaches with his work ethic and ability to quickly translate classroom concepts to the field. "There are a lot tools there—like his short-area quickness and in-line movement—that get me excited about working with the guy," says defensive line coach Todd Grantham.

And so Dixon continues his quest. "Just think of having a dream and actually getting to live it," he says. "It's just the greatest thing ever."

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