Ray McElrathbey was just 18-years-old when his budding career as an American footballer was thrown into doubt after his mother was sent to rehab for drug addiction.
At the time, McElrathbey was on a scholarship with the Clemson University Tigers but after she left, the teen was tasked with caring for his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr. With nowhere else to take him, the now 34-year-old snuck his brother into his dorm room whilst continuing to go to practice and study until he was found out.
“Once you make a decision in your life, you’re confident in your decision, whatever happens after that, you just deal with it,” McElrathbey said during an interview with The Latch.
“That’s where I was with [it] because it wasn’t something that I was taking back. So there’s no need to feel sad about it or even realise that you’re struggling because the process is to move past those points.”
Now, Disney+ has turned the empowering story of the former footballer into a film, aptly named Safety.
The story follows Ray (Jay Reeves), a young man facing a series of challenging circumstances, whose dedication and persistence help him to triumph over repeated adversities. Aided by his teammates and the Clemson community (including Corinne Foxx as Kaycee), he succeeds on the field while simultaneously raising and caring for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson).
For the former Clemson Tigers football safety, having his story turned into a film is a “dream” come true.
“You know how you dream about something, and you hope that you get something and then you get it? It is one of the best experiences of my life,” he said.
McElrathbey is now a mentor for at-risk youth and says it’s because he has a special “superpower”.
“I feel like my superpower is to do good in the world. I think everybody has the same superpower, it’s just whether or not they use it,” he said.
Here, McElrathbey talks to The Latch about the process of getting the film made, what his brother and mum are doing now and how he got through those initial years with a young ward.
Anita Anabel: Your story is so inspiring and has been made into a film, what has that been like?
Ray McElrathbey: You know how you dream about something, and you hope that you get something and then you get it? It is one of the best experiences of my life. I’m excited about everything that has happened. It’s been a wonderful experience.
It’s been a long process, 15 years just about since all this started and I’ve taken every moment with it, to finally get to a point where the movie’s coming out. It’s a wonderful film and I’m grateful, I’m thankful, I’m all those things and I’m excited about everything that comes.
AA: You have an incredibly inspiring story. How did you go from living it to it being made into a film?
RM: Back in ’06, the producer came to me, a gentleman name Mark Ciardi, at Clemson and told me that my life could be a movie. That if I would like, it’s something that he could shop around and make happen.
I was like 18, 19 years old and I was like, “I don’t care, go for it. Let’s try to make a movie”. But I was always sceptical because it was my life story.
And we just go from one studio to the next studio one year to the next year. It’s one of those things you just kind of wait and be patient.
AA: And now it’s been turned into a Disney film of all things. How amazing! How much input did you have? I spoke with Corinne [Foxx], and she said you were there but didn’t say much.
RM: I typically had my input in the night. I mean, I’d be there watching the scenes and have my thought process and if I’m okay with it, I won’t say anything but I was very involved.
Reggie [Reginald Hudlin], the director, asked me if I see something that I don’t like, well, I don’t feel as authentic, say something and worst-case scenario, he won’t do it. But I’m right where we started at, and I was like, “Let’s continue to talk and we’ll see what we can do”.
There were plenty of times when I stepped in and said, “Oh no, that doesn’t feel good. That doesn’t feel the way it happened. That wouldn’t be how I said that,” and they were willing to change and I appreciate that.
AA: The love that you have for your brother is so beautiful. How did you get through those first initial years together? That must have been difficult?
RM: No, actually. I mean, once you make a decision in your life, you’re confident in your decision, whatever happens after that, you just deal with it. That’s where I was with [it] because it wasn’t something that I was taking back. So there’s no need to feel sad about it or even realise that you’re struggling because the process is to move past those points.
I was always not focused on those things, not focused on the shortcomings, not focused on the things that I was inadequate about because I was too worried about moving forward. And that could be good and bad sometimes, but it worked out for me.
AA: What’s your relationship like with your brother now and what is he doing now?
RM: My brother and my mother, they run my foundation with me. They’ve been very helpful with continuing to make sure as a family, we make it because it’s family over everything. Same thing with Clemson. We were one group, one family. So if one makes it, we all made it.
They’ve been doing well. We love each other. Like we always have loved each other. And hopefully, we continue to do work.
AA: You mentor at-risk youth…
RM: I’ve always done that. That’s kind of been my thing.
AA: You’re like an angel who walks this earth.
RM: No, no. I’ve had my moments. But I feel like my superpower is to do good in the world. I think everybody has the same superpower, it’s just whether or not they use it.
AA: Why is it so rewarding for you to do the type of work you do?
RM: I mean, have you ever seen a kid, genuinely thank you for something? Have you ever like, I don’t know, could be a change in someone’s life to aspire to, to be admired by someone? I think what most men live their life for not knowing it and so it’s those moments that kids look at me.
But the feeling I get for helping someone, you know, overcome some of the hardest times is amazing. I did something that day. That’s a big deal. Like, I changed your life. Wow, I did that.
AA: I’m a big believer in people being thrown what they can handle.
RM: I have a contradiction to that. In faith, they tell you a lot of times, the whole thing about not having more than you can bear. But if you never have more than you can bear, then you should be able to handle the world on your own. But nobody can get through this world on their own. And so it’s those times that you need to understand that you’re in a place where you might be overwhelmed, that you do need other people. That you do need to step outside of yourself.
And so, I would like to think that a lot of our things that are placed upon us are a little bit more than we can and that’s why we need each other. If we continue to work with each other, then we can accomplish all things. That’s the beauty of life in this whole experience. That if we continue to work at it, we can win.
‘Safety’ premieres on Friday, December 11, streaming only on Disney+.