Brian Banks incredible journey just got a little more rewarding. During an interview with Yahoo Sports, Banks discussed the past two-years of his life.
Banks, now 29, was cleared and freed in May 2012 after serving five years of probation (in addition to the five years in prison) when his accuser recanted her story.
Banks says one call from Roger Goodell changed everything. After being cut by the Falcons and Seahawks, Goodell offered Banks an opportunity to speak at the NFL rookie symposium.
They stayed in touch. And a short time before the 2014 NFL draft, Goodell texted him to ask a favor. He wanted Banks to speak at the rookie symposium.
Banks, who was already in demand as a motivational speaker, accepted. Over the phone on Sunday, he reprised what he said to the rookies over the summer – a group he imagined himself being a part of for so long:
“The biggest thing you must remember is the mindset you have – what were the initial things you said to yourself as a young kid? Everything you said, that’s who you are. That’s the foundation, the essence of football. Why did you want to play? How did it make you feel? When the hands start coming out, you have to remember what it is you came here to do, why you initially wanted to do it. You have it, take pride in it. There are millions of people who went for the same opportunity and you made it. It’s a blessing. It’s a gift. Don’t ruin this by bad decision-making.”
Bank who has an extremely important job now, watches games in a control room in New York, as a member of the NFL’s department of operations.
If Banks sees a potentially controversial play, he gets a message out to head of officiating Dean Blandino and asked him to take a second or third look.
If Blandino needed to reach out to the officials on site, he makes the call. Banks served as the eyes and ears of the league’s eyes and ears according to the report.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I guess I would say it’s new and something I’ve been doing. It’s the game of football. It’s the love of football. It’s the knowledge and understanding of it. This is my first look at corporate America.”
