Long Beach Football Star Exonerated of Rape to Star in Series About Wrongful Convictions

A former Long Beach high school star whose dream of playing professional football was derailed when he was imprisoned for a rape he did not commit will star in a new unscripted television series investigating a potential case of wrongful conviction, the production company announced today.

According to NBC News’ Peacock Productions, the series with Brian Banks will take an in-depth look at the facts and witnesses in a potential wrongful- conviction case.

“Brian has unique insight into the complex world of the criminal justice system,” according to Sharon Scott, president and general manager of Peacock Productions. “He spent a decade fighting to clear his name and will draw on that experience during his investigation of one captivating case that has all the drama of a scripted series -- except it is real.”

Banks was exonerated in May 2012 after a judge in Long Beach agreed to throw out his 2003 conviction for forcible rape involving a girl on the campus of Long Beach Polytechnic High School a year earlier. Banks had dreamed of playing professional football and was expecting to attend USC on a football scholarship when he was arrested.

Banks was exonerated when his accuser recanted her story. He was briefly picked up by the Atlanta Falcons during the summer of 2013, but he was cut before the season began. He now works in the NFL’s corporate office.

Banks said he is excited to “delve deep into a case, aiming to expose the truth about whether the inmate is rightfully behind bars or if there is reasonable doubt.”

• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Patch Archive

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