Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is reportedly training for an NFL comeback while behind bars in prison.
A former first-round draft pick in 2020, Ruggs pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death and one count of vehicular manslaughter in 2021. Ruggs’ accident led to the death of a 23-year-old-woman when he hit Tina Tintor with his Corvette, allegedly with alcohol in his system.
The plea deal, according to CBS Sports, resulted in 36 to 120 months for the first charge, a felony, and an additional six months for the second charge, a misdemeanor.
Ruggs will be eligible for parole in August 2026 and has reportedly been allotted time while in prison to work out for a potential return to the NFL.
Interestingly, the revelations have not come from Ruggs himself, but rather from Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs. The Pro Bowl rusher said he has stayed in touch with Ruggs since they were teammates in Alabama.
“I still talk to Henry. Henry still calls me. I still help him out. … We’re still connected. I know his whole family. He’s from Alabama. He played with me at ‘Bama. His momma and them taught me how to bowl. … Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he’s always positive,” Jacobs explained.
Jacobs, 27, said that Ruggs has been training in prison and that he has been making calls in hopes of getting help to get in front of some teams upon his release.
“He’s positive about everything. He’s training. They let him train and things like that, so I’m like, ‘When you come out, man, I don’t know if you will get a chance.’ I’ve been talking to some people for him. They’ve been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance. I’m like, ‘When you get that chance, man, you better not, ever, don’t look back, and prove to yourself and prove to everybody that one decision don’t define you and who you are as a man.'”
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is advocating for Henry Ruggs’ NFL return. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
‘He’s a good kid. He’s never been in trouble. I’ve never seen him do nothing crazy.’
Jacobs attempted to paint Ruggs in a favorable light, as one would expect, describing the incarcerated player as the “breadwinner of the family” who has been changing his family’s life.
“I had some words with some [of his family], and I’m just like, ‘Man, y’all got to understand, like, he the breadwinner of the family. He the one changing all of y’all’s lives. Everybody.'”
“And then not only that, he’s a good kid. He’s never been in trouble. I’ve never seen him do nothing crazy,” Jacobs continued. “He was just one of them guys that have a very, very unfortunate situation and something happened, a decision that he made. That’s what hurt me the most. Man, he isn’t somebody you would look at and be like, ‘Bro, you deserved this to happen to you.'”
Ruggs played for the Raiders in 2020 and 2021, recording 921 receiving yards with four touchdowns in 20 games. The 26-year-old also had 11 kick return attempts while with the team.
When Ruggs signed his rookie contract in 2020, he was making an average salary of $4.17 million, with a $9.68 million signing bonus.
His entire $16 million contract was guaranteed upon signing.
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