Heartbreaking Story of an Athlete's Shattered Life Continues AT&T's 'It Can Wait' Series

In July, AT&T launched the shocking anti-texting and driving ad "It Can Wait: Close to Home," one of the most thought-provoking road safety ads of recent years. Now, ESPN has partnered with the carrier for another sobering film, this one perhaps all the more heartbreaking as it features a real-life accident victim.

It tells the story of Fletcher Cleaves, a promising football player and former Lambuth University recruit whose life was forever changed in the aftermath of a road accident six years ago. An oncoming driver glanced at her phone and the resulting crash left him paralyzed from the waist down. Real-life footage of his life today contrasts with scenes from his previous athleticism, all leading up to a shocking recreation of the accident.

Cleaves felt so passionately about AT&T's campaign that he agreed to tell his life story for ESPN, and joined ESPN College Game Day on Saturday to help spread the message. The film was created in-house at ESPN's CreativeWorks and was directed by Smuggler's Miles Jay.