On Sept. 13, Disney announced that they would be filming “Safety,” a new original movie, on Clemson’s campus from Sept. 14 to 23. Certain people and cars (or at least those pre-dating 2006) around Clemson are slated to make appearances in the movie, and several scenes were filmed during halftime of the UNC Charlotte football game on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The film centers around Ramon “Ray Ray” McElrathbey and his adoption of his younger brother while he was a redshirt freshman on Clemson’s football team. But the details of the story of McElrathbey remains relatively unknown to the majority of current Clemson students. To answer the question of what story the film will be telling, The Tiger’s archives were put to use. Two articles were written about Ray Ray McElrathbey and his younger brother, Fahmarr McElrathbey, in 2006. Now, The Tiger’s third article will give a summation of why Disney sees the story of these two brothers as one that is meant for the screen.
When he was 19 years old, Ray Ray McElrathbey, a player from Atlanta, Ga., grew up partially in foster care. He filed for temporary custody of his younger brother in June of 2006 after their mother entered rehab for a drug addiction. Their father was reportedly living in Las Vegas, Nev. at the time, and Fahmarr McElrathbey’s only other option was entering foster care. Ray Ray McElrathbey’s file for custody was approved, and Fahmarr McElrathbey moved to Clemson, S.C.
An NCAA athlete on scholarship at Clemson University, Ray Ray McElrathbey acquired off-campus housing for him and his brother. However, the amount given to McElrathbey was not enough to support two people. Ray Ray McElrathbey resorted to washing cars and mowing lawns to support them, but they did not own a car themselves, limiting the brothers’ mobility. Donations and aid were not allowed due to the NCAA’s strict regulations on student athletes, causing both the university and the ACC to call for the NCAA to review the situation in September of 2006.
Eventually, the NCAA did waive the rule, and the Fahmarr McElrathbey Trust Fund was set up by the university in a local bank. The trust did not garner enough money for Fahmarr McElrathbey to attend college for four years, but it did “[help] tremendously throughout,” according to Ray Ray McElrathbey.
Fahmarr McElrathbey became “kind of a little bother” to the football team, and the two brothers developed a schedule for cohabitation. But alongside the onset of a set schedule, the McElrathbey’s were also receiving national attention.
On Sept. 15, “Good Morning America” named Ray Ray McElrathbey the Person of the Week. A month later, on Oct. 20, both brothers appeared on “Oprah” for an episode themed “Childhood Interrupted.” According to Ray Ray McElrathbey’s Instagram, he also made an appearance on Geraldo and received the Keith Jackson Award for Excellence and the FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award.
In addition, Ray Ray McElrathbey received recognition from fellow players and football staff at the time.
“I could not fathom at 19 years old being a father and going to school with no car,” said Head Coach Tommy Bowden. “He tries to get active in a local church, tries to do this and tries to do that, and he’s raising an 11-year-old.”
As for Ray Ray McElrathbey’s experiences as a football player, he played far more positions than just that of safety, as is highlighted by the movie’s title. Reportedly, Ray Ray McElrathbey also played as, at one point or another, a cornerback, a wide receiver and a running back. As for how the Clemson Tigers did during the 2006 season, they went 8 – 5 and were ranked 38th in the nation. Bowden, who was head coach, acted as such from 1999 to 2008.
After being moved from defense to offense, Ray Ray McElrathbey eventually received a “career-ending” ACL injury during the summer of 2007. It was announced in the spring of 2008 that his athletic scholarship would not be renewed. Rather than accepting the offer of being an assistant coach that Bowden extended, Ray Ray McElrathbey graduated from Clemson in 2008 and began his graduate studies—and continued his football career—at Howard University. After a year of playing for Howard, Ray Ray McElrathbey moved on to Mars Hill University before leaving the field in 2010.
Now, Ray Ray McElrathbey lives in California with his children, working predominately in public service, and is currently acting as a consultant for “Safety.” His brother Fahmarr McElrathbey created music for a time but has not done so in the last two years.
For more details on the McElrathbey brothers’ story, articles can be found in The Tiger’s online archive.
