By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Walking into the massive indoor practice facility, looking up at the championship banners hanging from the ceiling and feeling the turf under his feet, Brian Banks allowed himself a moment to reflect on whether the reality matched the dream that helped get him through five years of wrongful incarceration.
Even as a coach, Ken Norton Jr. is still an enforcer.
"As soon as something like that happens, you start calling all your friends to make sure they're OK, just checking on everybody," said Ken Norton Jr., who retired in 2000 after 13 seasons as a linebacker for the Cowboys and 49ers and now coaches that position with the Seahawks. "It just opens your eyes and makes you more aware of what each other is going through — and ask that extra question, give that extra hug, to make sure there aren't any problems we don't know about."
"As soon as something like that happens, you start calling all your friends to make sure they're OK, just checking on everybody," said Ken Norton Jr., who retired in 2000 after 13 seasons as a linebacker for the Cowboys and 49ers and now coaches that position with the Seahawks. "It just opens your eyes and makes you more aware of what each other is going through _ and ask that extra question, give that extra hug, to make sure there aren't any problems we don't know about."
