Tonya McElrathbey

2020-12-07

Tonya McElrathbey, mother of Ray Ray and Fahmarr McElrathbey, joins The Dubcast to reflect on the wild ride that led to her sons' celebrity -- and her sobriety. Disney has produced a movie based on Ray Ray's decision to take custody of his younger brother in 2006 when Ray Ray was a member of Clemson's football team. This quickly became a national story. Oprah Winfrey traveled to Clemson. The NCAA even waived its rule against extra benefits to allow for the establishment of a trust fund for Ray Ray and Fahmarr (it...

Tonya McElrathbey, mother of Ray Ray and Fahmarr McElrathbey, joins The Dubcast to reflect on the wild ride that led to her sons' celebrity -- and her sobriety.

Disney has produced a movie based on Ray Ray's decision to take custody of his younger brother in 2006 when Ray Ray was a member of Clemson's football team.

This quickly became a national story. Oprah Winfrey traveled to Clemson. The NCAA even waived its rule against extra benefits to allow for the establishment of a trust fund for Ray Ray and Fahmarr (it generated $100,000).

On the other side of that uplifting story is Tonya's story of drug addiction. Tonya said she didn't learn until years later how much her depression contributed to her yearning for drugs, and she says she has been sober for three years and has a full-time job.

Tonya and her children remain close: She, Ray Ray and his 7-year-old son recently watched a director's cut of the movie.

"It was crazy," she said. "We laughed. And we cried. We would just hit pause and try to soak it in. It was emotional."

The movie "Safety" is scheduled for release Friday.

Comments (3)