SI, Sept. 11, 2006 Update

ONE OF the most uplifting stories of the 2006 college football season was that of Ray Ray McElrath bey, the Clemson running back who rescued his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, from a broken home—their mother was battling a cocaine addiction and they had no contact with their father—and became his legal guardian. The brothers have since thrived. They live in an off-campus apartment (Fahmarr, now 13, is an eighth-grader) and a trust fund set up in '06 for Fahmarr has collected nearly $100,000 in donations.

Earlier this month, however, Clem son announced it wasn't renewing McElrathbey's scholarship, even though he has two years of eligibility left. The school needs room for new recruits, and McElrathbey, who missed all of 2007 with a knee injury, was likely to be buried on the depth chart next season.

McElrathbey, a junior, could transfer to another school to finish his eligibility—or accept Clemson's offer to be a graduate assistant coach next season, which would allow him to finish his sociology degree this summer. McElrathbey has yet to speak publicly about what he'll do. Says teammate and friend James Davis, "If going to another place is going to make him happy, that's what he needs to do."

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MARY ANN CHASTAIN/AP (MCELRATHBEYS)

FAMILY GUYS Ray Ray and Fahmarr are Clemson celebs.