Exonerated prisoner attends first NFL game

by Jason Munz, January 3 2011

Four months ago, Phillip Bivens was confined to a prison cell. For nearly 30 years, the 59-year-old California native spent each and every day in prison.
However on Sunday, Bivens - as a free man - got to go somewhere he'd never been before: a professional football game.

But wait, there's more. Bivens also spent part of the afternoon roaming the sidelines at the Louisiana Superdome before the New Orleans Saints football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which the Saints lost 23-13.

Convicted in 1980 of being involved in the rape and murder of Eatonville resident Eva Gail Patterson, Bivens was spared the death penalty after pleading guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Bobby Ray Dixon and Larry Ruffin also were accused in the crime, and received life sentences.

But on Sept. 16, Forrest County Circuit Judge Bob Helfrich threw out the convictions based on DNA testing that indicated another man, Andrew Harris, committed the crime. Harris, already serving a life sentence for a 1981 rape in the Hattiesburg area, was served a capital murder indictment on Dec. 22.

An ardent football fan, Bivens' white dress shirt, brown slacks and black jacket, and white fedora stood in stark contrast to the red prison jumpsuit he had grown accustomed to wearing for nearly three decades.

"It was nice," he said. "I really enjoyed it. I didn't like the Saints losing, though. I was rooting for them. I'm yelling for the defense and they're losing."

Bivens is the only living member of the trio that was originally charged with Patterson's rape and murder. Ruffin died of a heart attack while imprisoned in 2002, and Dixon passed away in November after a battle with lung cancer. Dixon had already been released from prison in August due to his terminal illness.

Today, Bivens is living in New Orleans in a transitional home provided by the non-profit organization Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE).

During his time in prison, Bivens said he leaned on football as a way to get through the day-to-day grind.

"When I was locked up, most of the time I had the (NFL) schedule with me," he said. "Football was a way to ease my mind during the week. My main job was in the laundry room. I'd take the schedule with me, fold all the clothes, then go into the corner and look over the schedule."

But after watching from afar before his 28th birthday, and then keeping up with the NFL from his jail cell, Bivens - who calls the St. Louis Rams his favorite team - said his first game live and in color was something he'll never forget.

"Ever since I got out (of prison), I've been looking at it on TV," he said. "I'm just really grateful that someone was able to get me a ticket."

An NFL football game isn't the only thing Bivens has experienced for the first time since being exonerated. He also got the chance to visit with several family members he'd never met when he traveled to his hometown for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

In addition, Bivens has been taking classes in conjunction with RAE to learn how to use a computer.

"Once I got out, I said, 'Man, I'm lost,'" he said, pointing out that he just recently learned how to check for text messages on his cell phone. "I missed the whole computer age. I didn't know anything about a computer because I didn't have anything to do with society.

"And, you know, it's amazing because the people who were kids when I got locked up have kids of their own."

But if Bivens is bitter about being wrongfully accused and convicted, the constant smile on his face could sure fool you.

"I've been blessed, you know, to be able to get my freedom," he said. "The people I've been associated with and that I've met and talked to have truly showed me love. I keep praying about these things because it's been one blessing after another and it just feels so good."