A Little Inconvenience

When I was recently flying across the nation and back I encountered ridiculous delays. Each flight was delayed. This only resulted in more flights and more delays. Each was an inconvenience. The total was unbearable. The handful of hours that were simply wasted. The incredible story of Brian Banks makes me rethink my idea of an inconvenience. He's spent the last ten years of his life locked up on a trumped-up charge. In 2002, Banks was a highly recruited linebacker at football factory Long Beach Poly. Instead of college football glory and NFL fame, he found himself accused of kidnapping and rape by a classmate. This cost him his freedom for the next ten years. The possibility of freedom and a life of his choosing arose when his accuser recently sent him a friend request on Facebook. She easily admits that Banks is innocent of her accusations. It never happened. She wanted to "let bygones be bygones." It's incredible. She has no clue as to what she has done to his life. No remorse. Some close to the proceedings thinks that she wants to get back together with Banks. On May 24, Brian Banks was granted his freedom. Despite being away from the game for ten years, he still has a shot at football. He's received interest from several teams. His first invite to a tryout came from the coach that recruited him ten years earlier. Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks were the first to take a look. Tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers soon followed. The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins have expressed an interest. He needs to shake off that football rust but the speed and athletic ability are still there. Banks deserves a shot and he should get a shot. Some team will invite him to training camp.

The most remarkable part of Brian Banks' story is his lack of animosity. I couldn't deal with a few delays that cost me a few hours of my time. Just a few hours of inconvenience and this guy is gracefully handling having a decade yanked from him. He's just happy to finally be free. I sure hope that he gets his shot at football again. He deserves at least that.