Brian Banks Ran 4.77 Forty For Chiefs
Last week the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the teams to workout former high school standout football player Brian Banks who was recently exonerated of a rape conviction that squashed his NFL dreams before they ever began.
Banks is 26 and despite being locked up for years for a crime he never committed (his accuser recently came clean and admitted she lied) Banks is still an impressive athletic specimen. He would have had a full scholarship to USC had his life not taken such a horrible turn.
To their credit, a number of NFL teams are doing the right thing and giving Banks a shot. He has been training since May when he was finally cleared of wrong-doing and the 26-year old hasn’t played football since he was 18.
Still, he managed to run a 4.77 forty when he worked out for the Chiefs, according to SI.com’s Peter King.
According to Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, Banks had a “decent” workout.
"“It went well considering he hasn’t been playing football, but you can tell he has been working out,” Crennel said. “The football drills, he still remembers those things. I think the more workouts that he can have with different teams, the more it will come back to him. It was a decent workout.”"
While it is going to be very hard for Banks to make an NFL roster this season, he may be able to snag an invitation to some team’s training camp. If he can continue to show progress, he could be lucky enough to land on the practice squad.
NFL team’s should be applauded for what they are doing for Banks. Even if he never makes an NFL squad, he will likely never forget his tour of NFL cities working out for the pros.
But I don’t think Banks is looking at this as a charity tour. Playing in the NFL is his dream and I am willing to bet this young man will do what it takes to make it happen. His character and resolve are coveted traits among league GMs. The fact that we are hearing that his athletic numbers are starting to shape up could mean that some team will take a chance on him.
After all he’s been through, a chance is the least of what Banks deserves.