Stephen Levinson produced the sports drama series “Ballers,” which centres on a group of current and former football players in and around Miami, Florida. Charles Greane is one of the series’ key characters, even though it just gives us a glance into some of their backstories. Charles Greane, portrayed by Omar Benson Miller, was Ricky Jerrett’s teammate and a retired professional football player.
Due to his dexterity and quick feet, Greane was also known as the “Black Swan” during his prime. After retiring, Greane struggles to find employment and spends some time working at a car dealership. He then starts working in the front office of the Miami Dolphins before taking the position of president and general manager of the Los Angeles Rams. Some could question whether Charles Greane is modelled on a genuine NFL player given his realistic character arc. Let’s put an end to your curiosity, then.
Is Charles Greane Based on a Real NFL Player?
Charles Greane is not modelled after an actual NFL player, sorry. In the show, he is presented as a former football player whose career quickly began to wane after years of dominance. He regains his heart and excitement for the sport after taking a break from it to sell cars at a Miami car dealership. He chooses to battle for his spot back on the team and remove the stigma of being a “has been” after realising he is still skilled enough.
Former NFL player Jake Long, who was once a great offensive tackle in the game but had a sudden and severe decline, is one of the potential inspirations for the character. In actuality, he played in four Pro Bowls and did so for the Miami Dolphins, the same team that Greane represents in “Ballers.” To demonstrate that he still had enough left in the tank to return to his previous level, even Jake started competing for his starting and roster slots on various clubs. Additionally, much like Greane in the programme, he married his college sweetheart and appears to have a stable home life.
One of the best things about the programme, in the opinion of Omar Miller, who plays Greane in “Ballers,” was how his character captured his real-life obsessions. In addition, he had a lot more to say about his character, who he said had one of the most plausible plots in the show. He elaborated on this further in a July 2017 interview with The Wrap, stating, “My guy is the only one with the dynamics that come from being an adult.”
According to Omar, “It’s that crappy thing called adulthood that we all have to go through where we actually have to choose sometimes between family and work, and you have to make the tough decisions, you get to see it all play out with this guy who is a former athlete who is now a husband, still, and a father and he’s trying to juggle all the balls.” In a different interview with Mandatory in July 2001, Omar went into great length about his persona.
According to the actor, the fact that the character occasionally became disoriented was what made him the most engaging. People seemed to really relate to the notion that this guy was looking for himself, and I believe that a lot of people are going through changes and looking for themselves in life. The actor continued, “For me, there was this idea that you get to portray this man who, in the background of all this glitz and glamour, is a down-to-earth guy who’s just trying to find his way. That gave this character a relatability that I hoped the public would identify with, and so far, they did.
