Brian Banks says he has NFL tryout

Updated: May 30, 2012, 8:27 PM ET
ESPN.com news services

Several NFL teams are willing to give Brian Banks a chance to fulfill his dream of playing pro football.

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Banks, who last week was exonerated of a rape conviction that put him in prison for five years, told ESPN columnist Rick Reilly that he'll work out with the Seattle Seahawks on June 7. The Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins also have called to talk to him about a tryout.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll did not speak following the Seahawks' offseason workout on Wednesday, but the team confirmed the tryout.

"I'll make 'em happy," Banks, who has been training nonstop since October, told Reilly on Tuesday. "After all I've been through these last 10 years, I can still do some things that will impress you."

Before the charges, Banks was a star middle linebacker at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and was attracting interest from college football powerhouses such as USC, Ohio State and Michigan. He said he had agreed to a full scholarship with the Trojans.

His college football dreams ended, however, when he pleaded no contest to a childhood friend's false accusation of rape in 2002, a claim she now has recanted.

Upon his release from prison and before his exoneration last week, Banks had trouble finding work because he had to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, was a registered sex offender and had a felony record.

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His lawyer, Justin Brooks, has said Banks has been training six days a week to get in shape for a career in football.

"He has the speed and the strength. He certainly has the heart," Brooks said. "I hope he gets the attention of people in the sports world."

Banks also has received job offers outside the NFL. One of them is to "work in the front office and explore other sports opportunities" for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Banks told Reilly.

"I about fell out of my seat when I read that one," Banks said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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