Ray Ray McElrathbey of Atlanta was a defensive back for Clemson when he ended up on The Oprah Show in 2006 to explain how and why he took custody of his 11-year-old brother.
Today, McElrathbey, 24, continues his college playing career at Mars Hill College, a Division II school near Asheville, N.C., where the quarterback is Jon Richt, the son of Georgia coach Mark Richt. McElrathbey spoke with the AJC by phone this week.
Q: Mars Hill?
A: I was going to coach and teach at North Atlanta High School. I went to a coaches luncheon and told some of my old high school coaches I still had college eligibility and wanted to play. One coach called some friends and one of their programs was Mars Hill. I also looked at Albany State and Fort Valley and decided wherever the process was least painful, that's where I would go.
Mars Hill moved things along pretty fast. ... I was there maybe a week and a half later.
Q: Explain your eligibility status.
A: After I tore my ACL [knee ligament] at Clemson, I graduated there in 2008 with a degree in sociology and a minor in communication. I had two years of eligibility left. Immediately I went to Howard University, a Division I-AA [school], in the fall and left with a semester to go to finish my masters in sports management. Because I wasn't enrolled full-time at Howard, that doesn't count for eligibility in Division II.
I might have another year now at Mars Hill, but regardless, I have to go home to Atlanta after this semester. I still have custody of my brother Fahmarr and two sisters, Tatiana and Brittany.
Q: You must be one of your team’s oldest players. How is that for you?
A: Yeah, I'm like the veteran. I'm the same age of some of my coaches. I am playing pretty good. I guess I could say I'm one of the players to watch. Against Newberry, I had an interception and ran back a punt return [Mars Hill won 48-36]. Each game I'm getting better. I may be the only college player who lettered in Division I, I-AA and II.
Q: What differences do you see from Clemson?
A: The dedication. In D-I, all the guys want to be professional. Mars Hill is my favorite group of teammates, not to take away from others I've had, but they know that college football is their last stop and they plan their lives around that. One of my teammates played for Auburn, but he had cancer. Another guy is as good as any receiver in D-I, but he wanted to play basketball, so after that he still has eligibility and he's playing football.
Q: What’s your little brother Fahmarr up to?
A: He's at Carver High School in the 10th grade. He's doing fine. He would have played football, but he got sick and had to have surgery earlier this year. It's been a rough year, but he's working out and will play football next year.
Q: What about his trust fund, set up after your situation became public?
A: It was very helpful and still is. Fahmarr is still growing. He changed shoe sizes from 10 1/2 to 12 in almost an eight-month period. He's getting bigger and taller and I can access [funds] for things like that. It's very helpful.
Q: Do you have an income?
A: I train some students here on the side. I do some yard work for Max Lennon, the [former] president of Clemson, landscaping and trimming hedges. So Clemson reaches out and touches me here. When I was at Howard, Clemson's [alumni club] did, too.
Q: How is your mom doing?
A: You know, she has the disease [addiction to alcohol and drugs]. She is on and off. She's at home now, doing better, since I went back to school. When I came back [from Howard] she was in rehab. I go to Atlanta after every home game to make sure everything's OK.
Q: So you’re still the dad?
A: Yes, that's my current role.
Q: Do you stay in touch with Oprah?
A: With her producers. I'd eventually like to write a book. We're still working on a movie too. Walden Media has backed up half [of the film budget] and we need to get the other half.
Q: What do you see for your future?
A: Motivational speaking and it might even cross into some pastoring. Talking to people and motivating them in tough situations. I have been through a couple and think I should share.
Q: Do you ever wish things had been different for you?
A: No. Simply, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. It's my greatest accomplishment. The thing I look back on, that I have the biggest part in, is my brother's and sisters' lives. That's a good legacy. I can live with that.
-- Reported by Michelle Hiskey for the AJC
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