White Sox grounds keeper receives overdue World Series honor

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A grounds crew member at the White Sox's Guaranteed Rate Field received an overdue World Series honor on Wednesday.

Nevest Coleman was a member of the grounds keeping crew until in 1994 he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman in Englewood. Coleman sat in prison for 23 years until last November, when he and his co-defendant were exonerated and released.

Upon his release, the Chicago White Sox welcomed Coleman back with open arms, and he picked up right where he left off with the team in March.

While Coleman was in prison, however, the team won the World Series. Members of the grounds crew at the time were presented with watches in honor of the big win.

Coleman, who would have been a member of the grounds crew that year, never received his - until now.

"You should have been with us in 2005 when we won the World Series, but you were someplace else," White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a recording of the moment that the team shared on Twitter. "Had you been here, there's something that you would have gotten as a member of the grounds crew, so I want to give you that something right now. I don't want you to be cheated. That's something you should have had, so now you have it."