Brian Banks To Star In Reality TV Series Focused On Wrongful Conviction Case

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A former Long Beach high school football standout whose dream of playing in the pros was derailed when he was imprisoned for a sexual assault he did not commit will star in a new reality TV series, according to producers.

The series featuring Long Beach Polytechnic High School star Brian Banks will take an in-depth look at a wrongful conviction case, according to Sharon Scott, president and general manager of Peacock Productions.

Banks made national headlines following his exoneration in May 2012 after a judge in Long Beach agreed to throw out his 2003 conviction for forcible rape involving a girl on the campus of Long Beach Polytechnic a year earlier.

"Brian has unique insight into the complex world of the criminal justice system," according to Scott. "He spent a decade fighting to clear his name and will draw on that experience during his investigation of one captivating case that has all the drama of a scripted series — except it is real."

Prior to the conviction, Banks had aspired to play in the NFL and hoped to attend USC on a football scholarship - dreams that were all but dashed upon his arrest.

Banks played briefly for the Atlanta Falcons during summer camp in 2013, but he was cut from the team's official roster before the season started.

Now working in the NFL's corporate office, Banks said he hopes to use the reality series to "delve deep into a case, aiming to expose the truth about whether the inmate is rightfully behind bars or if there is reasonable doubt."