If Brian Banks’ story is the feel-good kind it’s only because he made it that way.
There was nothing good about Banks spending five years in prison and five more on probation after he was falsely accused of rape. There’s nothing positive about the prison term costing him his athletic prime after he was a promising football prospect in Southern California.
What turned a sour story sweet was the way Banks focused on what he has rather than what he lost. He talked about being grateful for his freedom and eventual exoneration rather than embittered by the injustice.
Banks decided to try to play football again, and the Falcons gave him a chance with a training-camp invitation last spring. But chances are Banks’ comeback attempt with the Falcons ended Thursday night in the Georgia Dome with Atlanta’s exhibition finale.
Banks was buried on the depth chart at linebacker and never climbed his way out. The Falcons will make their final roster cuts by Saturday, from 75 to 53, and chances are strong Banks will be among the players released.
He said he won’t spend much time worrying about his fate.
“No anxiety whatsoever,” Banks said after the 20-16 Falcons loss to Jacksonville. “I tried my hardest, I worked my hardest when I came out on the field in the time I had to do what I do. It’s all up to coaches from here.”
If Banks is released he could be invited to join the team’s eight-man practice squad, though such slots usually are reserved for younger developmental players. Banks doesn’t fit that mold.
He’s 28-years and hadn’t played football since high school until joining a minor league team last fall. Younger players with stronger resumes often don’t make it in the NFL so Banks always was a long shot.
Banks’ fate with the Falcons likely was sealed even before the game Thursday. But there also were some emotional moments for him prior to kickoff when his mother joined him on the field.
Banks said she’d never been to an NFL game before.
“She was a little choked up,” he said. “To have her here and get her in town and get her on the field and take pictures and show her what I’ve been up to these last few months is more than I can ask for.”
Back in April, when Banks signed with the Falcons, he said he’d consider it a success if he could just make the final roster. The emergence of college free agents Paul Worrilow and Joplu Bartu, both younger and more experienced than Banks, made Banks’ odds even longer.
Banks played a total of 31 snaps in the first three exhibition games and didn’t enter Thursday’s game until the fourth quarter. He finished with two tackles, one for loss, against the Jags.
His opportunities to play were limited but Banks made an impression on his teammates and fans.
“He has really matured and progressed as a football player since we’ve had him on our roster,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “He has been a great teammate to the guys in the locker room.”
If Banks’ football career ends this weekend, it’s likely his story will continue to find an audience. A documentary, book and movie about him are in the works.
Banks said his time with the Falcons has been “highs for the most part” without many lows.
“I’ve been fully consumed in making this team, trying to catch up on all these years I missed in football,” he said. “My learning curve was definitely different from a lot of guys here. I was learning a lot of one-on-on basic things in football, as well as the intermediate things in football and meshing it all together at once over a small period of time. It was definitely challenging but, overall, I enjoyed myself immensely.”
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