Brian Banks was a standout high school star at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, CA. He had verbally committed to USC and was all set to play football in college with his sights set on the NFL. But all of that was shattered, at least for the time being, when Brian was falsely accused of rape by a classmate named Wanetta Gibson.
Brian spent 6 years in prison and 5 years on parole. He was adamant about getting his name cleared and the charges reversed. Brian reached out to a non-profit organization called the California Innocence Project and convinced its co-founder Justin Brooks to help him. Gibson recanted her story and stated that Brian never raped her. On May 24, 2012, Judge Mark Kim reversed Brian’s conviction. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in April of 2013.
References:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adawson/2019/08/05/qa-exoneree-brian-banks-sees-his-life-unfold-on-film/#5affe7e92ccf
https://californiainnocenceproject.org/read-their-stories/brian-banks/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Banks_(American_football)