Safety movie released in 2020 reveals true story about Ray McElrathbey and his mother Tony McElrathbey. Tony is portrayed by Amanda Warren in the film.
Ray McElrathbey mom Tonya McElrathbey is an addict whose negligence led to several crimes by Ray. Ray is a 36-year-old former college football player.
The son of Tonya went to Clemson University around 2006 when he was the age of 20. He graduated from there in 2008 after which he went to another university, Howard University, and was on the football team of North Carolina’s Mars Hill College as per Decider.
The 36-year-old is not an only child and has many siblings including a brother named Fahmarr McElrathbey. He has a trucking company that he founded named Safety Freight and also works on the foundation that he is the founder of called Ray Ray Safety Net Foundation.
Who Is Ray McElrathbey Mother Tonya McElrathbey?
Ray McElrathbey mother Tonya Mcelrathbey is a drug addict who showed negligence towards her kids during their growth years.
The 56-year-old Tonya was battling an addiction to some illegal substances for more than 10 years and her husband lived in Las Vagas and had a serious problem with gambling. She was depressed for several years which majorly contributed to her addiction and she wanted to consume more substances to feel good.
McElrathbey was not able to take care of his children which let them spend more of their time in foster homes and living with his coaches because she could not sober enough to win custody of her children according to Tiger Net. She had sent her younger son to live with Ray and had sent him consent to have custody of Fahmarr in July 2006 because she was not able properly to care for her son. Fehmarn went to visit his brother in Clemson but soon after he was permanently staying with his older brother.
Tonya was struggling to get by every day in Atlanta because of her addiction and lack of money. As per Tiger Net, she stated that she was extremely guilty that she had to send him to his older brother as he was in college and he was also struggling. But she was going through a difficult time and believed that it was the best possible decision to make in that situation.
Ray and Tonya did not have a great relationship as he started to live in foster homes when he was seven years old and later he moved in with his football coach. Tonya had even taken him to a crack house and placed the boy in the room by himself when she left to get high when he was a child. He stated in an interview that the smell of drugs has been familiar ever since he was a child and it seemed like a common smell because he could smell it in the bathroom after she had used it.
The footballer was only nine years old when the dealers would pay him to keep their product as the police would not suspect a child. With the influence of their mom, he even started to consume some marijuana and continued to do so throughout middle school.
Ray Ray also thought about taking in his other brother and sister who were living with his mom at that time because Tonya could not be trusted with the children but knew it was not possible. Also, all the other siblings were staying with the older sisters.
Their relationship has always been rocky due to his mother’s depression and consuming products.
Even though they do not have a good relationship the football player stated that he did not resent or judge his parents because it was just who they were and they could not help how they were.
Where Is Tonya McElrathbey Now?
Tonya McElrathbey has now mended her relationship with Ray McElrathbey. The 56-year-old has been sober and clean for a long time.
Tonya joined The Dubcast in December of the year 2020 to talk about and reflect on her actions which led to her sons being famous and also talk about her sobriety.
The host of The Clemson Dubcast tweeted that it was a joy to catch up with her and stated that she was clean and sober and also had a full-time job. He stated she looked as well as sound great and the host was extremely proud of the woman who had been through it all.
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Tonya had been sober in 2006 and had started to work at a warehouse so she could make the ends meet. After the story of her sons being public and gaining a lot of attention, she decided that she would leave her addiction behind and try to do better. In 2008 she had been sober for eighteen months as per Espn and had started to work full-time in a communications company in Atlanta and no longer lived in a motel. The mother of the footballer also decided that she would join classes at a community college.
McElrathbey stated that they had become a family again meaning that they had mended their relationship which was broken before. After Ray had become famous it also made a huge impact on her life and even stated that he was the reason she decided to get clean. All the publicity was also about her and it forced her to see herself through the eyes of others and made her realize how much she was hurting her family.
In an interview, she stated that he had helped her become the woman she is becoming today and he was the reason for her getting better.
As of 2022, she is working with both her sons in her older son’s company named Ray Ray Safety Net Foundation which is a nonprofit organization.
Tonya Is Played By Amanda Warren In Safety Movie
In the movie Safety, Tonya McElrathbey is played by actress Amanda Warren. It was released on December 11, 2020.
The film Safety which was released two years ago revolves around the real-life story of Ray McElrathbey. The story is based on the former football player at Clemson University who faces various difficult circumstances from a young age and his dedication helps with getting over the hard times. Ray Ray continues to be a football player while also raising his brother Fahmarr that was sent to him by his mother Tonya.
The 40-year-old actress plays the role of Tonya who is struggling with addiction and does not seem to realize how much it has affected her family. The movie based on a true story explains the life of the McElrathbey family in about 2 hours and 2 minutes.
Warren has worked in various other movies and series such as East New York, Gossip Girls, Ways & Means, Dickinson, Genius, FBI, The Purge, Power, Monster and Men, and more.