Man Imprisoned, Cleared of Rape Has NFL Tryout With Seattle Seahawks
Long Beach high school football standout Brian Banks served five years on a rape charge before the accuser recanted her testimony
By Jonathan Lloyd
| Friday, Jun 8, 2012 | Updated 6:14 AM PDT
Brian
Banks, a Long Beach football player who was imprisoned and then
exonerated after he was falsely accused of rape, talks about his tryout
with the Seattle Seahawks and what a pleasure it was to take off his
shoes during a security check at the airport. "This doesn't define me.
There's so much more to me," he said of everything he's been through,
even his NFL tryout. Raw video from June 7, 2012.
Brian Banks participated in a tryout
with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks Thursday, two weeks after the Long Beach
high school football standout was cleared of a rape charge for which he served five years in prison.
He went through drills with coaches
at the Seahawks' practice facility Thursday morning. He was offered the
opportunity to return to Seahawks mini-camp next week, coach Pete
Carroll said.
"It was surreal," Banks said. "Two
weeks ago, I was a guy who was just sitting inside of his house trying
to get through parole."
Carroll was coaching at the
University of Southern California when he recruited Banks, a 6-foot-2,
239-pounder who played linebacker at Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
The school was among Banks' top choices, which included some of the
nation's best football programs.
But in 2003, Banks' life was derailed when he was convicted of rape.
"He was once in our sights, knowing
he had potential to be a special football player," said Carroll. "Here's
a young man who has a second chance at his dream. I just think he
deserves it. We're going to give him a real good look."
Banks, ranked among Rivals.com's top
high school football players entering his senior season, pleaded no
contest to a charge that he raped another student. He served five years,
but was exonerated when the accuser recanted her testimony last month.
"I am on a plane for the first time in 15 years," Banks, 26, tweeted during the trip Wednesday night to Seattle.
Banks arrived at the practice facility in Renton, Wash. Thursday morning.
"Even walking though the whole
checking area, taking your shoes off -- I know a lot of people complain
about that, but I'm thrilled about it," Banks said.
On "The Tonight Show" Wednesday
night, Banks spoke about his lowpoint -- the conviction -- and the
opportunity provided by Carroll. He wore a sweatshirt with a license
plate graphic that read, "XONR8."
"I'm doing great. Just being here is too cool for school," Banks said before pointing out his family in the audience. "
Banks was 16 when he was accused. He told Jay Leno that he still cannot explain why he was accused.
"My mom sold her house, sold her
car, borrowed a lot of money for a lawyer to represent me," Banks said.
"From Day 1, my attorney wanted me to plea to a deal. We kept denying
the deals. I've always stood to my innocence.
"I guess that's just how the system works. They want to entice you with a deal to avoid any type of trial situation."
Banks watched from a prison cell as
his teammates and classmates moved on from high school. He had already
spent a year in custody fighting the case when he was told by his lawyer
on the day of jury selection to accept a deal or go to trial and face
41 years to life in prison.
"She told me if I go out there and
select this jury, the jury would see me as a big, black teenager and I'd
be guilty," he told Leno. "I had asked to speak with my mom, my dad,
and I was denied that right. I had 10 minutes to make that
decision."
decision."
He was paroled and had to register as a sex offender, meaning he had to wear a tracking device and remain in Los Angeles County.
"It was humiliating, having this thing around my ankle," Banks said.
But then the accuser contacted him on Facebook, sending him a friend request.
"I didn't believe it was her -- I thought it was a sick joke," Banks said.
She wanted to "let bygones be
bygones" and meet with Banks, he said. He contacted a family friend, a
private investigator, to set up a meeting.
When Banks had his proof, an audio
recording of the accuser admitting to the false accusation, he
immediately contacted an attorney.
On May 24, he was cleared of the charge.
NBC4's Beverly White will be reporting from Seattle on Banks' tryout. Refresh this page for updates and follow @BeverlyNBCLA.
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