Henry Ruggs III Latest NFL Star To Faces Chargers and Prison

The Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL community is hit hard by the devastating news of wide receiver Henry Ruggs III’s fatal car accident earlier this month. Now, Ruggs joins a dubious list of NFL stars that ruined their careers after falling foul of the law.

A year after being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders, Henry Ruggs is no longer a member of the Raiders organisation. And his NFL career is almost certainly over as he faces up a long stretch in jail for his involvement in a fatal car accident that left a 23-year-old woman and her dog dead. 

At 3:39 am on Tuesday, November 2, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a crash involving a Chevrolet Corvette and a Toyota Rav4. According to a statement released then by the police, Ruggs was established to have been driving the Corvette at a high rate of speed before it slammed into the rear of the Rav4 causing it to burst into flames. The statement also revealed that while Ruggs remained at the scene of the crash, he “showed visible signs of impairment.”

Ruggs faces felony charges of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm. He also faces a misdemeanour charge of possession of a gun while under the influence. 

In Nevada, probation is not an option for a conviction of DUI causing death, which carries a sentence anywhere from two to 20 years. Probation is available in the case of the reckless driving felony charge which carries a sentence anywhere from one to six years. 

Additional charges were levied at Ruggs in this week’s court hearing, which was only attended by his lawyers. It would appear that in total, Ruggs faces charges and according to TMZ Sports, the 22-year-old could face up to 50 years in jail.

Ruggs’ attorneys did ask everyone to “reserve judgement” until the full facts of the case are thoroughly investigated.  However, that plea didn’t prevent the Las Vegas Raiders from releasing Ruggs soon after the news of the tragic accident broke.

Henry Ruggs III was drafted 12^th overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. The buzz surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide product was palpable, and the Raiders were deemed winners with the selection as many teams had their eye on the speedy receiver. 

The Raiders were looking for an offensive weapon that would be the perfect counter to the prodigal Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. It was hoped Ruggs would be that guy to give Hill a run for his money as one of the best receivers in the league.

Las Vegas started the season brightly and at the close of the first half of the season, the Raiders were surprisingly at the top of the AFC West. To say that wasn’t expected is an understatement. Kansas City has ruled the AFC West since 2015 and the entire NFL since the Patrick Mahomes era began in 2018. 

Granted some of Las Vegas’ success correlated to Kansas City’s struggles at the start of the season. Nevertheless, it prompted a positive revaluation of the Raiders’ NFL odds at a number of sportsbook exchanges for a variety of different markets.

Since the tragic events surrounding Ruggs’ accident, though, the Raiders have lost two games in a row. They lost to the New York Giants 23-16 in Week 9 and, importantly, to the Kansas City Chiefs 41-14 in Week 10’s instalment of Sunday Night Football.

Ruggs’ accident comes just after another litigious situation involving an NFL player concluded. This week, former NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones was sentenced to jail for his involvement in a bar fight that took place earlier this year.

Jones, a former Cincinnati Bengal, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for assaulting a security guard at the Over-the-Rhine nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio. The incident occurred in February when Jones allegedly got involved in a brawl with employees at the Clutch OTR. Jones maintained all along that he was acting in self-defence and “did what I needed to do.”

Adam “Pacman” Jones played for the Cincinnati Bengals between 2010 and 2017. He played with the Denver Broncos in 2018 for seven games before he was released. He retired in 2019.

Earlier this year, former NFL player Kellen Winslow II was sentenced to 14 years for multiple rapes and other sexual offenses against five women in California. The year prior Dana Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years for sexual offenses.