Brian Banks signs with the Atlanta Falcons
Yesterday,
April 3, 2013 Brian Banks signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Most of us are familiar with Banks. He is the ex-USC linebacker recruit
whose football dreams were dashed
by a five-year prison stint, being accused of rape in 2002 and then
winning his fight for his exoneration of rape. Banks is where he once
envisioned, passing a physical Wednesday morning and signing a contract
with the Atlanta Falcons.
History of this Tragic Event:
Banks,
27, was accused of rape in 2002 while a football standout at Long Beach
Poly High. Facing a prison sentence of up to 41 years if convicted, he
pleaded guilty at the advice of his then-attorney. He spent five years,
two months in prison followed by five years on parole as a registered
sex offender.
Banks'
accuser, a former classmate, contacted him after his release via
Facebook. They met, and she recanted her story. A private investigator
later recorded her confession, key evidence in the clearance of his
name. Banks said Wednesday he's been through "hell and back."
"It’s
almost impossible to explain the feeling of not having freedom," Banks
said in a conference call. "To be stripped of your freedom, of your
dignity, of the respect that you once had. To lose it all and watch the
world pass you by as you sit inside of a prison cell, knowing that you
shouldn’t be there, knowing that you are there for another person’s
lies. To lose it all and to wake up one day and get it all back, it’s a
very humbling, spiritual feeling that you don’t want to take for
granted."
What a Difference a Year Makes!
Banks, who is 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, is a linebacker.
A year ago, he was out of
prison on parole, wearing an ankle monitor as a registered sex
offender. The contrast with this week's events is "surreal," Banks said.
"Talk about coming from
the bottom," he told reporters. "I know all too well what that is and
what it looks like and what it feels like."
While serving time in prison, Banks said he was forced to abandon his hopes of playing in the NFL someday.
"I had to watch my class
go on and receive scholarships and play collegiate football on a high
level," he said. "For me I had to let those dreams go for me to focus on
what was ahead of me, and that was five years in prison. That was a
completely different life of violence and being away from your family.
... Football was the last thing on my mind, and it wasn't until a few
months before I was actually being released from prison that I thought
about possibly trying to play football again."
We are Pulling for Banks!
Banks will attempt to do something
that is very difficult to do, make an NFL roster. A very small group of
players ever have the opportunity to don a NFL uniform. Brian Banks
will attempt to do so after a decade of being away from the game. His
perseverance is a model for us all and I am pulling for him. He has
been away from the contact of the game, the speed of the game will be
much greater than he ever imagined. The physicality of the game will
challenge his inner strength. The football IQ required by an NFL player
is demanding. Banks has been through an incredible event and I could
never imagine what he has gone through and therefore I will not question
him. I will just cheer for him and hope to see him in a Falcons
uniform this coming August!
Good Luck to you Brian Banks! Your Deserve something good to happen!
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