Henry Ruggs III isn’t giving up on a return to the NFL as he awaits parole two years after pleading guilty to causing a 2021 crash that killed a woman and her dog.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs is still in touch with his former Alabama teammate, and he revealed some details of their correspondence during an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast with Ryan Clark on Tuesday.
That included the ex-Raiders wide receiver staying ready for a potential NFL second chance as he serves time in prison.
“I still talk to Henry. Henry still calls me,” Jacobs said. “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 added. “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.’”
Jacobs said he’s been talking to people around the league for Ruggs, and some have been receptive.
“They’ve been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance,” Jacob said. “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.’”
Ruggs, a former first-round pick, pleaded guilty in May 2023 to driving his sports car at speeds up to 156 mph after drinking at a Las Vegas TopGolf and a friend’s house before the crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor.
He pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter.
Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, on Aug. 9, 2023. AP
Ruggs, now 26, will be first eligible for parole in Aug. 2026 after his plea deal got him sentenced to 126 months.
He played two seasons for the Raiders, catching 50 pᴀsses for 921 yards and four touchdowns in 20 games before getting released days after the crash.
Jacobs said during the podcast that he “instantly” got mad upon hearing about the crash, and things only grew worse the more he found out.
“I start finding out more about the story and about how they were supposed to be racing. I’m like, ‘Who was he with?’” Jacobs said. “But he was with his family. So I went to his house. I had some words with some people over there, 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.’”
