As college football fans look forward to the New Year's Six bowls and the playoff games that lead to the national championship, during a season that has been filled with disappointments, the recently released Disney+ biopic "Safety," which tells the story of the adversity former Clemson star Ray McElrathbey (played by Jay Reeves) overcame as a student athlete, will score big in their hearts. You don't have to be a part of Tiger nation to appreciate how "Safety" intensely portrays the family hardships that were huge obstacles in McElrathbey's life, similar difficulties that many Division 1 African American football players endure while they are in school.

"Safety" takes us back to the 2006 college football landscape, in the era of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), a system that used computer ranking to select the top eight teams to play in the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. That year, Tommy Bowden was Clemson's head coach, and the Tigers did not dominate the Atlantic Coast Conference, as they presently do under coach Dabo Swinney, but they were still pretty darn good. They were ranked 18th in the preseason AP poll, and McElrathbey was a talented safety recruit coming into Clemson's program. Earning a football scholarship gave him the opportunity to escape a home life being exposed to the drug addiction of his mother, Tonya (Amanda Warren), and he came to Clemson with a vision for his future. McElrathbey's focus wasn't on making it to the NFL, which only becomes a reality for less than 2% of college football players. He took on a heavy academic load, taking 18 credits, something most advisors would not recommend for a student athlete while his sport is in season. Even though he struggled with time management, McElrathbey wanted to take advantage of everything college had to offer him. Things were going well until he was notified that his mother had been arrested again. This put him in a tough position of having to care for his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson).

There are many life lessons relayed in "Safety." The main one is that if we are in a dire situation where we need help, we should not be ashamed to ask for it. Those of you who are familiar with the Xs and Os of football know that the safety is the one on the defense who lines up at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. On big pass and running plays, the safety is often the lone defender left to prevent a touchdown, and he must be in position and take the right angles on a tackle as the opposing offense switches up schemes. Being in the right position on third-down plays, when the defense is trying to get off the field, is critical.

Using football symbolism, McElrathbey needed safeties in his life, people who would be that line of defense to support him, as caring for Fahmarr became overwhelming. Once he finally asked for help, McElrathbey's teammates, coaches and a community church came to his rescue. In an emotional scene, McElrathbey tells Fahmarr that he prayed every day for their mother to get better, which she eventually did, but at that time, he would have to become the guardian for his brother. Student athletes must balance their study time along with their required practice in between classes, which, in the case of football, is often over 20 hours a week. Imagine trying to juggle all that responsibility with raising a younger sibling at the age of 18.

McElrathbey's life today is a testimony to God answering his prayers during his college years. Tonya is drug-free, and she and Fahmarr help him run the Ray Ray Safety Net Foundation, which works with youth who are at risk of being separated from their families due to substance abuse. I think this verse from the song "Hold Us Together" on the "Safety" soundtrack beautifully illustrates the message of faith that McElrathbey wants viewers to take from his story: "I will trust in You, Your thoughts and plans of me, they are good./ I'll wait on You, I know that you will see me through."

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Tama66 at Pixabay