Former University of Alabama star wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, yet he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2021 season, as he’s incarcerated, stemming from an unfortunate driving incident.
In 2021, Ruggs was speeding with alcohol in his system. He struck a 23-year-old woman named Tina Tintor, and she died as a result of the collision. Ruggs later pled guilty to one count of driving under the influence resulting in death as well as a count of vehicular manslaughter.
Ruggs was sentenced to 36 to 120 months in prison for the first charge and an additional six months for the second charge.
According to Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs, Ruggs is training in prison to make an NFL comeback.
“So, for me, it hurt a lot,” Jacobs said when discussing how he reacted to the news of Ruggs’ incident. “But keeping up with him, man, and hearing him talk, it bring me spirits because he’s always positive. He’s positive about everything, man. He’s training — they got him, they let him train and things like that. So I’m like, ‘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 that couple of teams is willing to give him a chance. I’m like, ‘When you get that chance, man, you better not ever — don’t look back. 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.'”
Jacobs and Ruggs both played for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Jacobs was drafted a year before Ruggs was and has solidified himself as one of the NFL’s premier running backs. He ran for 1,329 yards with the Packers across 17 starts in the 2024 campaign. He probably had his best NFL season to date in the 2022 season.
The 2022 season just so happened to be Ruggs’ first full season not playing for the Raiders since the team drafted him. Jacobs led the NFL in total rushing yards as well as rushing yards per game that campaign.
Ruggs put up solid receiving numbers in his stint with the Raiders before he was embroiled in legal trouble. He racked up 921 receiving across 20 total games played and finished with a high of 118 receiving yards in a single game. Ruggs totaled his career-high in receiving yards in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs back in October of 2020.
It’s worth noting that Ruggs will be eligible for parole in a little over a year from now in August of 2026.
If Ruggs can get out of prison early, it’s possible at least one NFL team will take a chance on him.
