As the assistant principal at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., Renee Silberstein’s litany of responsibilities included working closely with the guidance department to make sure athletes maintained their eligibility and stayed on track to compete in college.
The earliest scouting report she received on ninth grader Sean Ryan made it clear that he faced some significant hurdles. Advertisement “Great kid. Great hands that can catch anything anywhere.
It will be a challenge for him to graduate,” Silberstein recalled the report saying. Years later, Silberstein can recite those words from memory. They’re a constant reminder of just how far Ryan has come and how love, support and resources can change the outlook for a young man who otherwise wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Ryan is a second-year receiver for the Baltimore Ravens . After signing as an undrafted free agent last year and spending the season on the team’s practice squad, he’s attempting to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster , which will be set by Tuesday afternoon. He’s viewed as a long shot, but the 25-year-old has been described as such before.
That was the case when he was growing up in New York City and surrounded by tragedy and tumult. Yet, he persevered through personal and academic challenges to graduate from high school and earn a college scholarship. Determined to get to the NFL , he played at three different colleges and was so homesick during one stop that he stayed in his room some nigh.