Ray Rice’s Amazing Story

Ray has learned more and more about his father, Calvin Reed. Janet has a color snapshot, which serves as the only means by which Ray knows what his father looked like.There are stories In which he has learned that he was a respectable man 1 OF3 wltn a respectaDle D I nese tnlngs are comTortlng to Ray Decause tne reason ne never got to know his father is extremely uncomfortable. In the summer of 1988, a car rolled past Reed as he was walking home from work. Shots were fired and Reed died there on the sidewalk. Three years later, when the gunman was convicted and sent to prison, it was revealed that Reed wasnt the target. He was Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. â€Å"Sometimes you wonder what it would be like to have your real dad,† Ray said.Just for a walk in the park or Just recapping our lives. That's the part that makes me think. â€Å"00A few years later, Rice's aunt died of brain cancer at 37 years old. Her son, Shaun Rice-Nichols, moved up three floors in their apartment complex to live with Janet and Ray. 00Treated like a son by Janet, Shaun was a father fgure to Ray, who was 10 years younger. They did everything together, from Ray's favorite (playing sports), to Shaun's favorite (rapping in front of the mirror). Shaun was an up-and- coming rap artist known as S. U. P. E. , which stood for Spiritually Uplifting People Everywhere.He sang about inspiring people and guiding them in the right direction despite their tough surroundings. Shaun would always tell Ray to go for his dreams, to pursue them with extreme passion. After all, Shaun was proof that even a kid from the projects could make it. 00At about 21 years old, Shaun signed his first record deal and moved with his fianc ©e and two young daughters to California to pursue his music career. 00†³He was the one in the family where if he wanted something he went after it and he got it,† Ray said. â€Å"He was the first one the family was really proud of. 0 0But Shaun's dream s ended on a road in California on March 21, 1998.That's when a driver, swerving to avoid another car during the early hours of St. Patrick's Day, plowed into Shaun's compact car. His fianc ©e died on the scene, and Shaun passed away four days later. â€Å"That was rough, really rough. But I believe today he's still here,† Ray said. â€Å"My family is different. When he died, in a sense some of my family died. Everybody Just changed for a little bit. â€Å"00Just 1 1 years old at the time, Ray didn't change. He Just became even more obsessive about continuing the mission that Shaun began for his family, he says. 00Ray still carries Shaun close to him at all times.He has Shaun's name, S. U. P. E. , tattooed on his right biceps and he carries his memories of him onto the football field. â€Å"I'm in his place now,† Ray said. â€Å"l made it to the NFL, but that's not enough. It's about my family and I'm trying to gel everyone believe in my dream and I chase my dream like S. U. P. E. chased his dream. He didn't get a chance to finish his dream. I want to finish my dream. One day after football practice during his 1 lth grade season, Ray stared out of the partment window as his mother ran him a hot bath, pouring in Epsom salt to ease his sore muscles. Ma, I'm going to the league,† Ray said. â€Å"I've got to make it to the league. I'll be glad when I can tell you, You don't have to work no more. ‘† Janet lived her whole life in The Hollow. She sometimes worked two Jobs trying to make ends meet while doing her best to spoil Rice and his three younger siblings. Besides the time she spends doting on her own kids, she has dedicated her career to teaching special needs children, a calling that shows her heart is bigger than the 4-foot-11 body it lives in. Ray decided early on in life that his mother needed help.And since then, a large part of his mission has been to use his passion of football to give her a different life. Ray was a two-sport star at New Rochelle High School. He played point guara Tor nls DasKetDall team, lea01ng tnem to tne state Tlnals In 2 football field, he scored 31 touchdowns as a senior and was named to the Madison Square Garden's All-Heisman team. Ray then became a college football legend in the New York-New Jersey area, rejuvenating Rutgers' football program and leading the team to a miraculous upset win over previously-undefeated Louisville in 2007.Right before being interviewed by ESPN on national television that night, with the cameras rolling, Rice stopped and called out, â€Å"Where's my mother? † He was worried about her being trampled by the students streaming onto the field. Despite her son being drafted, nearly leading the NFL in total yardage last year and being named to the Pro Bowl in Just his second season, those words on ESPN serve as Janet's favorite football memory for the sheer fact that it shows how much her son cares about her. Ray and Janet still talk on th e phone every single morning at around 6 a. m. while Janet is cooking breakfast for her children.They talk about everything, from football to girls. â€Å"I'm more than Just his mother,† Janet said. â€Å"I'm his best friend. We laugh, we giggle. We have so much fun together. † In large part, Ray's success has already allowed him to take care of his family. His mother drives a new Lexus and now lives in a safe, waterfront property Just about 15 minutes from their old apartment. But Janet still goes to her Job at school, still caring for special needs children. â€Å"I've got one more phase left,† Ray said. â€Å"It will be her choice whether she wants to work. I want her to fulfill what she wasn't able to Just raising us. I want her to enjoy herself.