And yet for them it will be so much more.
For Ferguson, a Missouri native, it’ll be a chance to thank his father, Bill — the man who never stopped fighting for him while he spent 10 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
“I jokingly called my father and asked him if he wanted to go to the Super Bowl,” said the 30-year-old, who moved to Florida after he was released from prison in 2013. The father-son pilgrimage came about last month when a ticket distributor offered Ferguson an all-expenses-paid trip to Sunday’s game.
“Being able to do this with my father after all he’s done for me, sacrificing 10 years of his life to prove my innocence — that’s when it became real,” added Ferguson. The offer of the Super Bowl trip, he said, “meant the world to me.”
Innocent and serving time
Ferguson’s 12-year nightmare began on November 1, 2001. He and his friend Charles Erickson, both then 17, were drinking illegally at a college bar in Columbia, Missouri. About five blocks away, Columbia Tribune Sports Editor Kent Heitholt turned off his computer after a long night and left the newsroom shortly after 2 a.m., according to court documents.
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While Ryan doesn’t have a Super Bowl favorite — he’s just excited to see “amazing people do amazing things” — his dad is rooting for the Seattle Seahawks in their matchup with the New England Patriots.
“When we were in Seattle, we were so impressed with their spirit,” said Bill Ferguson, referring to a trip in 2014. “It’d be difficult for us not to be supporters.”
The father and son leave for Arizona on Thursday and will spend a long weekend together, reveling in football fandom and their shared bond.
And making up for lost time.
“Being locked up for 10 years meant no college and I never even sent a text or posted a Facebook update or used a smartphone,” Ferguson told iReporter Paul Fitzgerald. “I will get to go to the Super Bowl with my dad. It’s a dream come true. This is a golden opportunity and one that I will never, ever forget for the rest of my life.”
