WR Henry Ruggs III (1 Viewer)

[jm192]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

 

[jm192]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

Time will tell. I am trying to think of another case of this magnitude….maybe Donte Stallworth? Seems pretty rare but maybe I am missing a few…

That gets into trying to define magnitude which is different for people by and large depending if you judge Ruggs by the outcome of his actions or the intent. If you are judging by the outcome I don't know of anything worse. Stallworth was close, just a less horrific death. If you are judging by intent I'd say guys like Vick and Watson did worse. You may look at it one way, others may see it a different way but I can guarantee you certain factions of the society viewed the actions of premeditated acts done by some of those players as worse acts, just not worse outcomes.

There's certainly a huge debate on the Watson end of things. What I'll say: He never had any criminal charges/arrests. For better or worse, the NFL falls back on the legal system. And sure, that's a crappy way for them to be.

But if we're focused on the conversation of: Will they forgive Ruggs and welcome him back--I think the death and the charges are probably the worst combination.

 

[menobrown]

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

We could go around and around but I don't agree because of what I just said in the post you responded. A terrible thing happened, but intent matters in the court of public opinion and IMO it's not even a difficult PR spin.

I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010.

I can't say I agree.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent.

I do agree with this, and will say how good team think he can be will be what impacts him playing again more then anything else, but Stallworth was no world beater especially at that age and the Eagles took on the PR hit to sign Vick to be the backup.

Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

No offense but this is a weak premise to me. He played 20 games and was clearly breaking out in his second season. Maybe not as much for fantasy but his type and what he offers teams he was actually starting to perform in a way that justified how high they took him.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Has the NFL ever had an active player who is on parole?

Would the ankle monitor be within the uniform code? Would it have to be a team color?

 

[menobrown]

or better or worse, the NFL falls back on the legal system. And sure, that's a crappy way for them to be.

. I don't think they fall back on the legal system, what they try and do is let the legal system play out before they render their suspension. They suspend players all the time who never get charged with a crime, even some who never get taken into court on a civil matter.

That's how the NFL operates.

Teams fall back on ownership(some won't deal with these issues), PR and how much of an impact you can make. I don't think they make any decisions based on the legal system.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

Is Britt Reid back in the league?

 

[JohnnyU]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

Hope he saved his mony, because you’re probably right. He should leave the country before the civil suit comes knocking. Has that already happened?

 

[Chaka]

He was a better version of Jameson Williams.

Teams will bring him to see if he can still burn. At 26 it's reasonable to believe he could still bring it. If he can there is no reason a team shouldn't/wouldn't sign him.

Unfortunately, this is probably the most accurate take. If he's still 4.2 he'll get a shot. He'll be one of the few people I'll be heavily rooting against.

Why is it unfortunate?

Ruggs committed a crime. He is serving his time. When that time is up why shouldn't he be able to pursue a career after he is released?

dude got off easy as pie..He murdered someone.

No, he didn't. He killed someone, there's a very distinct difference.

 

[Marauder]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

You also need to look at each case individually. Stallworth had a BAC of .12 and was going 50mph in a 40 zone and hit a pedestrian who was crossing a busy causeway. Ruggs was going upwards of 150mph on what I believe was a 40 mph zone (I used to live about a mile from there and have driven that stretch of Rainbow Blvd many times.). He registered .16 BAC when he was tested two hours after the accident. Both were obviously very irresponsible but there seems to me to be a big difference in the level of irresponsibility, which of course was reflected in there respective sentences. I can see the NFL treating them differently.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

This is also my take.

I don’t care what sort of shape he’s in. No
Team wants that PR smoke.

 

[32 Counter Pass]

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

Leonard Little killed someone while driving intoxicated and played multiple years after the incident. Not only that, he was arrested for aDUI again.

 

[Snotbubbles]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

You also need to look at each case individually. Stallworth had a BAC of .12 and was going 50mph in a 40 zone and hit a pedestrian who was crossing a busy causeway. Ruggs was going upwards of 150mph on what I believe was a 40 mph zone (I used to live about a mile from there and have driven that stretch of Rainbow Blvd many times.). He registered .16 BAC when he was tested two hours after the accident. Both were obviously very irresponsible but there seems to me to be a big difference in the level of irresponsibility, which of course was reflected in there respective sentences. I can see the NFL treating them differently.

Once you serve your time, your debt to society is paid. The guy should be able to earn a living if he's found capable of being able to make an NFL roster.

 

[Marauder]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

You also need to look at each case individually. Stallworth had a BAC of .12 and was going 50mph in a 40 zone and hit a pedestrian who was crossing a busy causeway. Ruggs was going upwards of 150mph on what I believe was a 40 mph zone (I used to live about a mile from there and have driven that stretch of Rainbow Blvd many times.). He registered .16 BAC when he was tested two hours after the accident. Both were obviously very irresponsible but there seems to me to be a big difference in the level of irresponsibility, which of course was reflected in there respective sentences. I can see the NFL treating them differently.

Once you serve your time, your debt to society is paid. The guy should be able to earn a living if he's found capable of being able to make an NFL roster.

A couple of things.

He was sentenced to 3 to 10 years. If he's let out on parole after 3 years, has he paid his debt to society? Parolees have to live by different rules than the rest of us.

Second, He should be able to earn a living but that doesn't mean he has the right to play in the NFL. There are a lot of ways he can earn a living. Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. If a player makes a legal bet on a NFL game he gets suspended for life even though he hasn't committed any crime. The 32 owners in the league have a right to make their own rules.

 

[JohnnyU]

CFL

 

[joey]

CFL

came here to post the same.

No offense but this is a weak premise to me. He played 20 games and was clearly breaking out in his second season. Maybe not as much for fantasy but his type and what he offers teams he was actually starting to perform in a way that justified how high they took him.

All the Raiders fans on this board can attest to this statement. Ruggs was just finally starting to show the promise of being drafted so high and then this horrible event happened.

 

[Snotbubbles]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

I just think it's such a different level of crime than what they "consistently" tolerate.

What other cases have involved someone dying? Stallworth is the only one I can think of. I think the world is in such a different place in 2025 than it was in 2010. If Stallworth did it today, I don't think he sees a 2nd chance.

I also think the NFL is more apt to forgive one's sins when they've proven their talent. Ruggs for all his promise never did anything major.

You also need to look at each case individually. Stallworth had a BAC of .12 and was going 50mph in a 40 zone and hit a pedestrian who was crossing a busy causeway. Ruggs was going upwards of 150mph on what I believe was a 40 mph zone (I used to live about a mile from there and have driven that stretch of Rainbow Blvd many times.). He registered .16 BAC when he was tested two hours after the accident. Both were obviously very irresponsible but there seems to me to be a big difference in the level of irresponsibility, which of course was reflected in there respective sentences. I can see the NFL treating them differently.

Once you serve your time, your debt to society is paid. The guy should be able to earn a living if he's found capable of being able to make an NFL roster.

A couple of things.

He was sentenced to 3 to 10 years. If he's let out on parole after 3 years, has he paid his debt to society? Parolees have to live by different rules than the rest of us.

Second, He should be able to earn a living but that doesn't mean he has the right to play in the NFL. There are a lot of ways he can earn a living. Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. If a player makes a legal bet on a NFL game he gets suspended for life even though he hasn't committed any crime. The 32 owners in the league have a right to make their own rules.

Yes, parolees have paid their debt, even though it's not a total fulfillment. Part of the parole process is to reintegrate the parolee into society, part of that reintegration is employment. The NFL qualifies as employment, having any job is a privilege, not sure why the NFL is placed on some special pedestal of jobs that certain people, if qualified to obtain employment shouldn't be allowed to.

 

[Chaka]

He was sentenced to 3 to 10 years. If he's let out on parole after 3 years, has he paid his debt to society?

Yes. Do the crime, do the time. That's the deal.

Second, He should be able to earn a living but that doesn't mean he has the right to play in the NFL. There are a lot of ways he can earn a living. Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right. If a player makes a legal bet on a NFL game he gets suspended for life even though he hasn't committed any crime. The 32 owners in the league have a right to make their own rules.

Of course he doesn't have the right to play in the NFL. And society doesn't have the right to forbid him from playing in the NFL.

Anyone who doesn't accept that should direct their strongly worded emails to the Nevada State Legislature.

AFAIK the NFL doesn't have a rule preventing him from seeking employment.

 

[Chaka]

I also doubt there will be a massive PR hit if anyone signs him. Hardcore fans won't care at all and housewives from Des Moines to Poughkeepsie aren't going to care enough to make a stink about on the scale that would move the needle on the national level.

 

[Marauder]

AFAIK the NFL doesn't have a rule preventing him from seeking employment.

But the NFL could choose to suspend him indefinitely, could they not?

I'm not taking any side here. Just looking at it from all angles. I don't think there is any one correct answer.

 

[DocHolliday]

CFL

KC or Cleveland

 

[JohnnyU]

CFL

KC or Cleveland

Is that in Toronto or Montreal?

 

[Chaka]

AFAIK the NFL doesn't have a rule preventing him from seeking employment.

But the NFL could choose to suspend him indefinitely, could they not?

I'm not taking any side here. Just looking at it from all angles. I don't think there is any one correct answer.

They could, of course. I have no problem with that.

 

[Hankmoody]

Second, He should be able to earn a living but that doesn't mean he has the right to play in the NFL. There are a lot of ways he can earn a living.

Does he have the right to be a pizza driver? Can he be a lawyer? How about a CEO? Does bricklayer fit your criteria? Can he run his own business and turn it into the next Amazon? Which of his God-given abilities is he allowed to use and which must he refrain from earning with?

 

[rockaction]

The NFL qualifies as employment, having any job is a privilege, not sure why the NFL is placed on some special pedestal of jobs that certain people, if qualified to obtain employment shouldn't be allowed to.

And yet the NFL itself claims that it is a privilege to play in the NFL and suspends players (without pay) for conduct unbecoming or violent or negligent. There is a mechanism for not allowing Ruggs to play—it’s whether the NFL chooses to go that route.

Personally, I’ve been waiting for this moment since he was jailed. I knew it was coming. He’s in the prime of his athletic life. Whether he can still run a 4.27 is in question, but not his age right now. He’s going to try to come back and he always was. That was probably the plan and it probably got him through some lonely nights.

How people feel about that is up to them. I’m at best skeptical that this is a good thing. A young woman went out to walk her dog and was stopped at a light when she was barreled into by a young man driving 156 mph while intoxicated. Trapped in the wreckage, she and her dog were burned to death. No legislature writing nor civics class (spare me, I went to law school, minored in poli science, and know allllll about it) is going to go into how I feel or how others feel about this guy in the league. Checks and balances and where the buck stops do not suffice sometimes, and we’re left to fill in those gaps.

eta* Too much about me in this former paragraph here.

But should he be given the platform for untold riches and fame again? I will say this from my end having said what I just said: The young man ought to show atonement for his actions and learn how to atone sincerely and publicly. A humbled and heartfelt apology to the parents of the victim would be a start. The rest can follow.

 

[Harjiran]

After his debt to society has been repaid, if he's still got the goods, some team will sign him and I think that's only fair. Maybe his sentence should've been longer given the crime but that's not really the issue here - once he's served his time, he should be free to pursue his chosen career, like anyone else. But as with Michael Vick before him, Henry Ruggs won't be on any of my fantasy rosters and I hope he doesn't land on my hometown NFL team because I can't root for him on game day - what he did makes me sick and I feel terrible for the woman who was killed due to his extreme negligence. If that makes me a hypocrite, so be it.

 

[LawFitz]

Can't speak to what the NFL will choose to do with respect to giving him a 2nd chance, but

On the day Henry Ruggs ruined the early prime of his NFL career, if not his entire life, along with the lives of the victim and her loved ones,

He had already elevated himself to 2nd best deep threat in the league in just his 2nd year, after being labeled a bust by most peeps after his rookie campaign. There are lots of speed guys trying to play WR. Problem is few of them can run anything but a go route, and even fewer can actually catch the ball with any level of NFL ability and/or consistency.

Ruggs was not one of those guys. Doesn't mean he's going to be able to step into that same mold after five years away, but I am thinking more than one GM out there is going to explore the idea.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Has the NFL ever had an active player who is on parole?

Would the ankle monitor be within the uniform code? Would it have to be a team color?

I’d think it can be pink in October

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Has the NFL ever had an active player who is on parole?

Would the ankle monitor be within the uniform code? Would it have to be a team color?

I’d think it can be pink in October

As long as it meets NFL guidelines. Getting fined for a clothing infraction might violate his parole.

 

[zamboni]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

This is also my take.

I don’t care what sort of shape he’s in. No
Team wants that PR smoke.

PR aside, even if a team is willing to take a chance on him, he may just not be good enough. We've seen plenty of extremely fast guys (who weren't in prison) fail to succeed if they aren't good at all the other nuances of the position.

 

[JohnnyU]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

This is also my take.

I don’t care what sort of shape he’s in. No
Team wants that PR smoke.

PR aside, even if a team is willing to take a chance on him, he may just not be good enough. We've seen plenty of extremely fast guys (who weren't in prison) fail to succeed if they aren't good at all the other nuances of the position.

Don't forget Ruggs was starting to assert himself when all of this went down. Whether he can do that years later is another question, but in my mind he was showing he is good enough at that time.

 

[zamboni]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

This is also my take.

I don’t care what sort of shape he’s in. No
Team wants that PR smoke.

PR aside, even if a team is willing to take a chance on him, he may just not be good enough. We've seen plenty of extremely fast guys (who weren't in prison) fail to succeed if they aren't good at all the other nuances of the position.

Don't forget Ruggs was starting to assert himself when all of this went down. Whether he can do that years later is another question, but in my mind he was showing he is good enough at that time.

He showed a few flashes, but he didn't seem to jump out:

Henry Ruggs III 2020 Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Henry Ruggs III 2020 game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Henry Ruggs III 2021 Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Henry Ruggs III 2021 game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

And that's coming up on four years ago - I think CFL sounds about right if he gets another chance.

 

[Marauder]

Second, He should be able to earn a living but that doesn't mean he has the right to play in the NFL. There are a lot of ways he can earn a living.

Does he have the right to be a pizza driver? Can he be a lawyer? How about a CEO? Does bricklayer fit your criteria? Can he run his own business and turn it into the next Amazon? Which of his God-given abilities is he allowed to use and which must he refrain from earning with?

I don't understand the point you are making. I was just responding to somebody who said "The guy should be able to earn a living if he's found capable of being able to make an NFL roster." The implication being that if he's good enough to play in the NFL he should be allowed to. I'm just saying the NFL is under no obligation to allow him to earn a living as an NFL player no matter how good he is. I think most people agree with that.

 

[Hankmoody]

I don't understand the point you are making. I was just responding to somebody who said "The guy should be able to earn a living if he's found capable of being able to make an NFL roster." The implication being that if he's good enough to play in the NFL he should be allowed to. I'm just saying the NFL is under no obligation to allow him to earn a living as an NFL player no matter how good he is. I think most people agree with that.

Apologies if I misinterpreted your post, there are a lot of people that don't believe he should be allowed under any circumstance just on principle or as a societal decision. I definitely agree that the entity of the NFL has the absolute right to include/exclude at their discretion.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

No way he plays in the NFL again.

This is also my take.

I don’t care what sort of shape he’s in. No
Team wants that PR smoke.

PR aside, even if a team is willing to take a chance on him, he may just not be good enough. We've seen plenty of extremely fast guys (who weren't in prison) fail to succeed if they aren't good at all the other nuances of the position.

Don't forget Ruggs was starting to assert himself when all of this went down. Whether he can do that years later is another question, but in my mind he was showing he is good enough at that time.

He showed a few flashes, but he didn't seem to jump out:

Henry Ruggs III 2020 Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Henry Ruggs III 2020 game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Henry Ruggs III 2021 Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Henry Ruggs III 2021 game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

And that's coming up on four years ago - I think CFL sounds about right if he gets another chance.

In all seriousness, we may see him in the UFL. If he balls out there, next stop NFL.

 

[Chaka]

I'm just saying the NFL is under no obligation to allow him to earn a living as an NFL player no matter how good he is. I think most people agree with that.

Absolutely.

I think the problem is there are some people in here who are suggesting Ruggs shouldn't even be allowed to play football, regardless of whether or not the NFL would have him.

The NFL, as a trade union of privately owned businesses, has the right to decide who can or cannot work for them.

Ruggs will have the right to try and find employment in any industry, at any position that that will hire him.

Society, as a whole, has no rights in either matter.

And, most of the people who believe Ruggs's punishment should be more severe both in prison and after he becomes a free man would also go nuts if society, as a whole, did have rights in that regard.

 

[Ray_T]

I was wondering why Ruggs is trending player on sleeper.

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs, sentenced to 3-10 years in prison for a fatal drunk driving crash in 2021, may be eligible for release as early as 2026. According to insider Dov Kleiman on January 12, 2025, Ruggs will be eligible for parole in August 2026, after serving part of his sentence.
At the time of his potential release, Ruggs will be just 26 years old and five years removed from his last NFL game.

Maybe if I had 40 roster spots.

I'm sure he will have a chance to prove he can still play. Likely at league minimum salary...., but given how long hes been out of the game I'm skeptical it will work out.

To bad that poor girl and her dog won't be around to see him play.. The scumbag got off real easy. Should be life IMO

when you consider the lifestyle he would have lived if that accident didnt happen vs the lifestyle hes likelly to lead now..... it is night and day. agreed, not the same as life in jail, but one of the reasons we lock people up in jail is because they are a danger to others. I suspect this is a mistake hes not likely to make again. if he does.... I dont think hed see the light of day again outside of a jail cell.

 

[Ray_T]

What people are forgetting here is that the victim’s family is going to want him to play because whatever civil suit they bring will have juice to it.

This is a great point.

Someone brought up Ray Rice earlier and I always that poor lady suffered/paid twice. Once when her husband knocked her out, the second time when she lost her family's primary wage earners source of income. I remember thinking of her back then and thinking all the people who want Rice out, justified or not, was probably not the best outcome for the victim.

I don’t disagree with that point of view, I just have a hard time thinking that an NFL team would entertain bringing him on board due to the distraction that comes with it.

But they consistently do this exact thing.

Time will tell. I am trying to think of another case of this magnitude….maybe Donte Stallworth? Seems pretty rare but maybe I am missing a few…

That gets into trying to define magnitude which is different for people by and large depending if you judge Ruggs by the outcome of his actions or the intent. If you are judging by the outcome I don't know of anything worse. Stallworth was close, just a less horrific death. If you are judging by intent I'd say guys like Vick and Watson did worse. You may look at it one way, others may see it a different way but I can guarantee you certain factions of the society viewed the actions of premeditated acts done by some of those players as worse acts, just not worse outcomes.

there are some jurisdictions that consider sexual assault to be on par with murder in terms of seriousness of the offense.

I'd argue that depending on the nature of the sexual assault it could be worse than murder because the victim is tortured by the memories of the incident for a lifetime. I dont know about you but I think I'd rather be murdered than than be brutally raped.

this is also a case where when he got into the car he had no idea he'd be harming someone. it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, but I dont think there was any intent to go out and run someone over. in that sense, its not as serious as the guy who goes out, grabs a gun and leaves the house with the intent to end someones life. Guaranteed if he did that, hed still be rotting away in prison. I think he should be allowed to go out an make a living, (and provide restitution to the family of his victim).

I am pretty sure he will be forever a changed man because of this. whether that change is for the better or the worse remains to be seen. that is up to him. but he has served his time and now needs to go out and prove he can be a decent human being.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I love the blind raider fandom. It’s all that keeps us going. Ruggs was getting better, but he was still quite middle of the pack. Fast as all hell, but not that much more. Worthy has already shown more then ruggs did.

 

[LawFitz]

Fast as all hell, but not that much more. Worthy has already shown more then ruggs did.

Disagree. Ruggs wasn't the best at making contested catches (though even that was improving), but he was getting separation regularly in year 2, and would catch the ball cleanly with his hands when he did and Carr delivered a catchable ball. I didn't watch enough of Worthy last year to have a strong opinion, but what I did see, he looked like a physically-weaker version of Ruggs. Henry Ruggs at age 22 was skinny strong - nearly 25 lbs heavier than Worthy at approximately the same height. Worthy is just skinny. Yr 2 Ruggs would have been a monster for a Reid/Mahomes offense IMO... Not Tyreek, but closer to that than to what Worthy was last year.

It's a terrible shame what Ruggs did to that woman and his own career. We'll never know what he was truly capable of, as there's no way four years off won't have affected him materially for the worse, even if he is able to resume his NFL career.

 

[Max Power]

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs, who is serving more than three years in prison for a fatal 2021 DUI crash in Nevada, is training in case an NFL team calls him when he's released, according to a former teammate.

Josh Jacobs, who played for the Raiders at the start of his career before signing with the Green Bay Packers, talked about Ruggs in a recent podcast interview.

Ruggs could be paroled by August 2026, according to Pro Football Talk.

"Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he’s always positive," the running back said on "The Pivot Podcast." "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.’"