By Phil Taylor of SI.com

If you remember the uplifting story of Ray Ray McElrathbey, the Clemson running back who rescued his younger brother from a bleak home life two years ago by bringing the boy to live with him and becoming his legal guardian, you may not want to know about the latest developments in his saga, which aren’t nearly so heartwarming. This is the world of big-time college athletics and, sooner or later, that world almost always turns cold.

McElrathbey first gained national attention in 2006, after taking over custody of his brother Fahmarr, who was 11 at the time. Fahmarr had been in and out of foster care in Atlanta for much of his childhood — just as Ray Ray had — because of their father’s gambling problems and their mother’s addiction to crack cocaine. Once McElrathbey was settled at Clemson with a football scholarship, he decided to help his little brother escape that life as well by giving Fahmarr a stable home — his own.

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