KC native Shane Ray, mom are grateful for Super Bowl journey

Once cornerback Bradley Roby stepped in front of Tom Brady’s pass to seal the Denver Broncos’ trip to the Super Bowl, there really was no stopping the tears that began to well in Sebrina Johnson’s eyes.

There she was in the stands at Invesco Field, watching her son, Shane Ray, be crowned an AFC Champion — as a rookie no less — when all of a sudden, it hit her how far they had some come.

It wasn’t all that long ago, really, that Johnson was a single mom raising Shane — whose father was former Missouri defensive end Wendell Ray — at 54th Street and Norton Avenue in Kansas City, part of the 64130 ZIP code dubbed “The Murder Factory.”

But Shane made it out there, thanks in large part to Johnson, who sent him to a private high school — Bishop Miege — by taking on extra work, and was his rock all the way and through his tenure at Missouri, where he matured into a first-round pick in 2015.

“I had no idea — and people think I’m fooling when I say this — I didn’t know he was good into his junior year (of college),” Johnson said. “When people said he’s good, he’s going to the NFL, I’d laugh it off. All I cared about was him getting his education, which he promised he’d do.”

Needless to say, Johnson — who watches every game, either in person on TV — wasn’t about to miss the chance to potentially watch her son go to the Super Bowl in person.

“There is nothing that would have kept me from being here to support him,” Johnson said.

That’s why the tears streamed down her face in the aftermath of the AFC Championship Game, and no one knew that better than her son, who smiled as he recalled Johnson’s reaction after their 20-18 win over the New England Patriots on Jan. 24.

“My mom, she’s been there with me every step of the way,” said Ray. “And for her, she was probably a little bit more excited than I was after the game. There was crying, there were all kind of tears and all that, and I just think about everything we’ve been through, and it was awesome.”

The whole scene was an example why both of them believe, so fervently, that everything — even the bad stuff — happens for a reason.

For instance, if it weren’t for his brief draft-day tumble — where he slid down some draft boards because of a lingering toe injury and a brush with the law, as he received a citation for speeding and possessing a small amount of marijuana a few days before the draft — he wouldn’t have been available with the No. 23 pick, where the Denver Broncos traded up to get him.

“Like I said when I got drafted, the Broncos have given me a great opportunity to be a part of an awesome organization, and now we’re playing for a Super Bowl, and I can’t say just how blessed I am to be in this situation,” Ray said.

But now, not only is he a contributor on a winning team as rookie, Ray is also being mentored by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, two players he patterns his game after.

To Johnson, her son couldn’t be in a better place to mature both as a person and football player.

“You know, God has a plan,” Johnson said.

And she has had to remember that through a season full of ups and downs. Ray has tallied 20 tackles and four sacks in 14 games this season, but he missed two games in the middle of the season after sustaining an MCL injury against the Browns in Week 6 that was originally feared to be worse than it was when it happened.

“When the injury happened, I thought I tore everything in my knee,” Ray said. “You see people tear their ACLs by just making a cut, and I had two 300-pound men fall on the outside of my leg. And so once I felt that pop happen, I thought I tore everything and my season was done.”

His mom — who was watching the game on television with her mother — was freaking out at first, too.

“It’s the most awful thing ever, because it’s different in the NFL,” Johnson said. “Like at Mizzou, I knew all the coaches and families and we were all very close so if anything occurred, we’d get there.

“But watching the game … the hit looked like his leg was broken and on the TV, they kept going back to it and playing it in slow motion. Tears were coming down my eyes and my mom was like ‘It’s gonna be OK.’ ”

Ray and Johnson spoke on the phone shortly thereafter, though.

“Oh yeah, she saw it happen — and uh, she’s emotional, my mom is,” Ray said with a grin. “She calls me, crying, ‘Oh my God, are you alright?’ I’m like, I’m sitting on the training room table, I’m like: ‘Mom, I’m good. I’m watching the game right now. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back.’ ”

Ray also remembered her saying she would be flying up to Denver to take care of him.

“I said, ‘Alright, I appreciate that,’ ” Ray said. “Because I’ve got a lot of stairs in my house.”

Ray is 22 now, and he’ll be 23 in May. As proud as Johnson is of his accomplishments on the football field — and there are many, including being named the 2014 SEC defensive player of the year — with her son on the verge of a Super Bowl title, she’s even prouder of the man Shane has become.

“I’m just really proud of who he’s become as a man. The football deal just happened,” Johnson said. “I’m proud he stayed dedicated. He picked something he wanted to do for his career, and it’s all coming to fruition.”

Which is why Johnson will be in attendance for Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. She’ll be in Levi’s Stadium, watching Shane on perhaps the biggest day of his life. And after everything they’ve been through, her son would have it no other way.

“My mom sacrificed so much for me,” Ray said, “and for her to see me reach this point, it’s really amazing.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 10:10 PM with the headline "KC native Shane Ray, mom are grateful for Super Bowl journey."