Brian Banks

From the perspective of everything I went through to have played in four NFL games, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

If my story can help someone to better themselves in life, then so be it.

To be stripped of your freedom, to be stripped of your dignity and the respect you once had, to lose it all and then see life pass you by while you're sitting inside a prison cell, to wake up one day and get it all back - it's a very humbling feeling.

Football was a dream, an opportunity once taken from me - something I thought I'd never be able to do again.

The biggest thing you must remember is the mindset you have - what were the initial things you said to yourself as a young kid? Everything you said, that's who you are.

If I can be some kind of vessel to show people that, no matter the hard time you experienced, you can still succeed, I want to put out that positive energy to never quit and never give up.

For me, I just want to be positive.

If the NFL is going to be responsible for what someone is doing in their personal life, there may need to be preventative work early against the incidents that are happening.

People ask, 'Do I have trust issues?' I wouldn't say I have trust issues. I have trust concerns. It's valuable for me to trust a person in particular.

Wrongful convictions need to be addressed in America. There are a lot of Brian Banks behind bars right now.

I've had the opportunity to see both sides of the human spirit. I've seen those who will put you down, demean you, brand you, and have a one-track mind of destruction. But I've also seen people who uplift you. I've been on a journey unlike any others.

There was a time when I had nothing. I lost everything.