Brian Banks starts living NFL dream at Seahawks minicamp
Jun 13, 2012, 4:12 PM | Updated: Jun 15, 2012, 12:33 pm
Brian Banks works out with the Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, June 13, 2012, during an NFL football minicamp practice in Renton, Wash. Banks, a former prep star, got his tryout just weeks after being exonerated in a California rape case in which he was falsely accused. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Brian Banks doesn’t want anybody to be easy on him.
When he got on the shuttle to the Seattle Seahawks’ practice facility, he wasn’t sure what to expect from his two-day minicamp tryout.
He walked in to find a locker spot just for him, with a white No. 43 practice jersey hanging on a hook and a new Seahawks helmet waiting to be pulled on.
“I just wanted to take a picture of it just for myself,” said Banks. “It was amazing to see my name on the back of it.”
From meetings in the morning to participating in every drill in the afternoon, Banks finally began living out his NFL dream on Wednesday. It was even more overwhelming than Banks expected.
The first day was amazing, he said. “I’m just honored to be out here and give it my all. It felt good.”
He told reporters after practice that he was taking it step by step. Still, he felt like he fit in among the coaches and the players, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some serious work to do.
“The toughest thing was the language,” Banks said. He needs to get down the defense and the calls, and his mind around the techniques of being out on the field.
Banks, a former prep star, got his tryout just weeks after being exonerated in a California rape case in which he was falsely accused.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
