It’s been a decade since Britney Spears’ boyfriend Charlie Ebersol lost his then 14-year-old brother in a plane crash that claimed everyone on board except Charlie and his father, who he pulled from the wreckage. At the funeral NBA legend Bill Walton told him, “You now carry the responsibility of two lives,” at that sense of responsibility has been a source of inspiration for him.
Part of Charlie’s tribute to his brother is NFL Characters Unite, his project with the USA Network that’s been running for four years. “I was struck by the number of professional athletes who have overcome obstacles in their lives – be it bullying, discrimination, domestic abuse,” he told People. “I got close to a couple of NFL players, and I said to them, ‘You can connect with kids in your community. You can change lives.’ We pair NFL players with kids in their teams’ hometowns who are going through the exact same obstacle as the players went through.”
Charlie even opened up about his new relationship with pop princess Britney Spears, which is still just a few months old. “The mission of my company is to bring three things to the world through entertainment: joy, happiness, and change. We must believe our precious time is being used to make a product worth more than ‘My personal life is my personal life,’ but I will say this: If I had not gone through what I’ve gone through, I would not have been prepared to be in a relationship of any kind, much less in one with someone like Britney, who has the enormous heart that she does. I can’t imagine. Everybody deserves to be loved. My hope is that lesson shines forth in this documentary, and in life.”
