After 23 years in prison for a wrongful conviction, one man is headed back to MLB
In 1994, Nevest Coleman was working as a groundskeeper at Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox.
But his life was turned upside-down when he was arrested and then convicted of rape and murder and put in jail for crimes he did not commit.
Coleman spent the next 23 years in prison until last November, when DNA evidence proved that he was wrongly convicted. A judge in Cook County, Illinois, granted him a certificate of innocence this month, clearing him of any wrongdoing, reported the Chicago Tribune.
While Coleman, now 49, will never get back those 23 years he spent behind bars, he will be able to resume the life he once had: The White Sox rehired Coleman to work as a groundskeeper.
After 23 years in prison as an innocent man, former White Sox groundskeeper returns to his old job. https://t.co/gKoSL68nys
(via @royalpratt) pic.twitter.com/XopXwToD88
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) March 26, 2018
His first day back on the job was Monday, the Tribune reported.
“I saved your spot for you,” head groundskeeper Roger Bossard said to Coleman when he reported back to work Monday morning, according to the Tribune. “I knew you’d be back.”
His former co-workers, Jerry Powe and Harry Smith, were also there to greet him.
Nevest Coleman picking up the power washer for the first time in two decades. pic.twitter.com/Kp5LD6ACEi
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) March 26, 2018
In 1997, when prosecutors were pushing for Coleman to get the death penalty, Smith and Powe, along with other of his former co-workers, vouched for him at the sentencing hearing. Thankfully, he was spared the death penalty.
“Glad to see him out. Glad to see him back,” Powe told the Tribune. “I’m so happy for him, me and the White Sox.”
Coleman told the Tribune how much he loved working at the ballpark.
“I’d wake up in the morning proud to go to work,” he said. “A lot of times, you get people who get jobs, you go to work, you be like, ‘I don’t want to go.’ Here, I loved it.”
A lot has changed since 1994. For starters, his place of work is no longer called Comiskey Park. It’s now on its third name, Guaranteed Rate Field.
The White Sox also won the World Series in 2005, which Coleman heard about while in prison. He recalls hearing a roar in his cell the night they won.
When he was proven innocent last November, family and friends approached the White Sox about hiring Coleman back to the job he loved. The team didn’t hesitate to bring him back.
“We’re grateful that after more than two decades, justice has been carried out for Nevest,” the team said in a statement via to the Tribune. “It has been a long time, but we’re thrilled that we have the opportunity to welcome him back to the White Sox family. We’re looking forward to having Nevest back on Opening Day at home in our ballpark.”
“I feel so blessed” — White Sox welcome back Nevest Coleman, exonerated after 23 years for a murder he didn’t commit. https://t.co/mEim8s7Ddt
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) March 26, 2018
“His first wish, before he wished for a hamburger, was to work for the White Sox,” his cousin, Richard Coleman, told the Tribune. “That’s exactly what I told them.”
“I feel so blessed,” Nevest Coleman said.
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