The Kansas City Chiefs are working out a player with an extremely unusual past. You may have seen some stories in the news recently about a former football player named Brian Banks. A star middle linebacker in high school, Banks had offers from a number of major football programs, including USC.
Except he never got there. ESPN's Rick Reilly takes up the story, which starts back in 2002:
But on a summer day that year, he and a girl named Wanetta Gibson decided to go make out in a stairwell at school. When they came out, she accused him of rape.
No semen traces in the rape kit. No witnesses. And yet Banks' attorney insisted he cop a plea, saying his size, age and race would mean a sure conviction of 40-plus years. He said no, no, a hundred times no and finally, reluctantly, yes.
Banks got six years. He served 62 months.
When he got out, the woman who accused him of rape admitted that she made the whole thing up, which resulted in Banks getting exonerated. (One of the biggest "Oops" by the police I've heard in a long time.) Read the whole background here.
Banks said last week that he has been working out and he wants his shot at the NFL, however much of a longshot that may be. According to ESPN's Rick Reilly, who spoke with Banks, the Chiefs could be one of the teams giving him a chance. The Chiefs, as well as three other teams, called Banks to express interest in a workout. The Seattle Seahawks, headed by former USC coach Pete Carroll, have a workout scheduled with Banks on June 7.
We'll be following this story. It's one of the most unbelievable stories I remember hearing.