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Brian Banks: Stanford Swimmer Was A Case of Privilege And Lifestyle

By Timothy Raymond
Published on: 13:47 PST, Jun 7, 2016

A high school football player with his whole life ahead of him, Brian Banks, an innocent man, is also an accused man. Brian Banks was accused of raping a girl around the same age as him, and he remembers that period in time, almost 13 years ago, just as if it was yesterday. Banks remembers being ignored and at the same time, stared at and hated. On his feelings during his trial, he said the following.

“I felt like I wasn’t a human being. I was a number.”

It almost goes without saying that “Brian Banks, Stanford swimmer” is becoming a rather synonymous grouping of words, especially since Banks feels so close to this case as he was once in Brock Turner’s shoes. However, Banks didn’t get as good of a deal as Turner did. According to the New York Daily News, A young man caught raping an unconscious woman was handed a three- to six-month jail sentence by the Superior Court Judge of Santa Clara County, Aaron Persky.

Fortunately, Brian Banks’ life has picked up since that fateful day 13 years ago; he now works for the NFL out of their L.A. office. But as a youth of only 16-years-old, he was tried as an adult and tossed into a juvenile hall for a year before anyone would assess his case. Banks faced the possibility of life in prison for 40 years, on the lighter side. However, due to his innocence when compared, Brian Banks and Stanford swimmer, Banks denied all of the plea deals, even when it was dropped down to only nine years out of the possibility of life. His self-faith proved fruitful as he was eventually offered a 90-day assessment period where after 90 days in prison, he would be given probation. His attorney even pushed him into the deal, with the argument that it would be a better option than a young black man facing an all-white jury at that time.

Brian Banks is adamant that Brock Turner’s case is one of privilege. Banks is basing his choice of words off of the fact that the judge took into consideration Turner’s lifestyle and how the boy lived his life up to the point of the rape. Banks even mentioned that it probably had to do with the fact that Brock Turner lived a sheltered lifestyle and wouldn’t be able to survive in prison, but a child that was born to parents that were addicted to drugs, or a non-parent household, can’t afford a decent education, those type of kids can apparently handle being in prison.

When you compare Brian Banks and the Stanford swimmer, the cases are so far apart in terms of correlation that it can’t even be compared. We have Banks who was just alleged to be a rapist and then we have Brock Turner, who was caught in the act. You can read more about Brock Turner and his case to see how different it is from Brian Banks on the Inquisitr.

After five years of being locked up, Banks’ accuser took back her allegations, and finally, he was able to live his life to its true potential.

According to CBS News, Banks also had a bit to say regarding the punishment he had to go through compared to what Turner is receiving.

“They gave me six years. They gave him six months.”

Banks even expressed his feelings and thoughts on the victim of Turner’s crime. Acknowledging the fact that her opinion and thoughts were being ignored when her voice should be the one heard over everyone else’s.

Banks even expressed his feelings and thoughts on the victim of Turner’s crime. Acknowledging the fact that her opinion and thoughts were being ignored when her voice should be the one heard over everyone else’s.

Through his entire ordeal, and even with the current press of being associated as Brian Banks – Stanford Swimmer, Banks never let the world win against him, and he focused on becoming better and striving for the best. Even associating and attaching himself to the California Innocence Project which was one of the major parties involved in the regaining of his innocence.

“I wasn’t physically raped, but I was raped in a sense of my freedom”

Brian Banks, an innocent man who got the under-privileged end of the law.

[AP Photo by Dave Martin]

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