While serving five years for robbing a grocery store at gunpoint, he played for the prison baseball and American football squads.

Two films (The Billion Dollar Scandal and Over the Wall) produced in the 1930s were inspired by his life story, and he was fatally stabbed at a tavern in June 1941.

[8] His mother left Illinois to be with her son in New York, and a judge later cited her unpredictable tendencies as a potential influence on Pitts's problematic life decisions.

[9] Pitts played fullback for an American football team in the prison system, the Black Sheep, during his sentence.

[4] After his release from prison on June 6, 1935, Pitts's signing with the Albany Senators generated controversy through the media.

[14] An executive committee of the National Association held a hearing on June 11, 1935, to review Bramham's actions.

[15] The committee supported Bramham, and Pitts announced that he would appeal to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

[17] Hack Wilson, who previously played for the Chicago Cubs, was moved off of the Senators' roster to make room for Pitts.

[19] Evers received permission from the Canadian government to let Pitts play games in Montreal and Toronto, as an exception to their moral turpitude laws.

[21][22][23][note 3] Signed primarily for publicity reasons, he played in three games for the Eagles, recording two receptions for 21 yards.

[22] Eagles coach Lud Wray was opposed to signing a player for non-competitive reasons and kept Pitts off of the field for the first game of the season.

[28][5] He enlisted former Eagles teammate Max Padlow to replace a missing All-Stars player in a game against the Dayton Pros in December 1935.

[5] He also played with the Gastonia Spinners of the Carolina League during the season, but was released in June 1937 after a fight with the manager.

[5] He was released on August 1, which was surmised in the 2006 book Outlaw Ballplayers as being due to his age or his celebrity not creating strong enough attendance at games.

[40] Lawes sold Pitts's story to Warner Brothers by August 1935,[41] and the film Over the Wall was released in April 1938 inspired by his life.

[47] The man later received a pardon by North Carolina governor J. Melville Broughton, who believed the act was justified as self-defense, since he claimed Pitts had been aggressive and threatening towards the couple.