Despite rushing for 52 yards on 12 carries and catching 3 passes for 36 yards and a touchdown, the main talking point about Ray Davis on Saturday had nothing to do with his performance against EKU. Instead, the trending topic was actually what SEC Network announcer Takeo Spikes had to say about Davis and his life before UK.
Following Davis’ receiving touchdown roughly halfway through the 4th quarter, Spikes said, “Nine months ago when he jumped in the portal, everybody wanted him. Eleven years ago, as a foster kid, really nobody wanted him.”
In a since-deleted tweet, his father even demanded the SEC Network to give his son an apology.
Ray Davis Talks About Foster Life
While there was (probably) no ill intent there, one could definitely say that Spikes could have worded his statement on Davis just a tad bit better. Davis, however, is open about his life as a child. He even goes in detail, talking about how lonely and discouraging foster life can be.
“I would sit there for days upon days texting family members, texting friends asking someone to just take me in temporarily, just for maybe a two-or three-week stint. So I could be back in the real world, so I can go to school,” Davis said. “But as the days go on, you start to realize that nobody wants you.”
Davis would add, “You never hear the success stories, you always hear the failure stories. My goal is to be a successful story. I want to be an advocate for kids in the system, foster kids, because I once was like them. I experienced all the hardship that you go through being in that system, waiting for someone to adopt you or for someone not to want you because of how old you are or the background that you come from.”
Although Spikes may have worded his compliment on Ray Davis extremely poorly, at least he made light of the tragic reality that Ray Davis and many kids experience.
Perhaps his complicated past helped mold him into the well-rounded young man and athlete he is today. Hopefully, the San Francisco native can continue to shine on and off the football field.
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