A 16-year-old boy in high school, who dreamed of playing in the NFL one day, lost his childhood friend in 2016 and couldn’t even sit behind the wheel without dread. It was raining that day, and the visibility was low, and Henry Ruggs canceled his plan to go with his friend Rodd Scott, due to the flu. The accident happened, and Ruggs visibly grew depressed with self-blame for not driving Scott. Unfortunately, one tragic night, his chills became real, and it’s hard to imagine that the same Henry, who dreaded to sit behind the wheel, was involved in an infamous controversy. He was convicted after a woman and her dog, Max, were killed as Henry was reportedly going 150 miles per hour with his Corvette Stingray and crashed into the woman’s car. But now, he has finally come out with a statement after all these years.

Henry, at the time, was just coming to his second season at the Las Vegas Raiders after getting drafted as the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. His performances in the first season were reliable, and he had everything to achieve in the NFL, but on November 2, 2021, with that brutal car crash, everything changed. It was reported that he had blood alcohol levels of 0.161%, which was twice Nevada’s permissible limit, as he crashed his car at 156mph into a 23-year-old Tina Tintor’s car, who was traveling with her dog.

Both Tintor and her dog died as the vehicle caught fire after the impact. The former Bama wide receiver was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison after a plea bargain deal and has been in prison ever since. But now, as he was granted a special release on Tuesday, he spoke at an event in Las Vegas about the whole ordeal, the first time since the tragedy.

Henry Ruggs apologized to Tina Tintor and her family and showed remorse for the act. “I wish I could turn back the hands of time…I would just tell them (Tina Tintor’s family) that I deeply apologize for just being a part of that, and I wish that they could meet the real Henry Ruggs and not one who was just running away from everything.” Ruggs also expressed regret about his familiar face and how him being in the headlines would remind the family regularly about the tragedy and said that he “never asked for it-I never liked.” The incident shows how one act of recklessness can sabotage many lives.

At Alabama, the player was an incredibly talented wide receiver and helped Bama win their 2017 national title as he helped them beat Georgia by 26-23. In that game, Henry, as a freshman, recorded 3 receptions and scored a touchdown; moreover, his subsequent seasons were incredible, too. For context, Henry exceeded expectations and received 741 yards, and then followed it up by notching up 746 receiving yards in his last season at Alabama. So, the talent was there, and Henry still wants to put it to good use after he comes out of prison.

When asked if he still wants to play again in the NFL, the receiver simply said, “Yes, I would love to,” and later opened up about how he is a changed man now. “I’m in this newfound spiritual space, and I’m confident in who I am and what I can do, so when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll be ready. I don’t feel like I ended on the terms that are meaningful to me and my core values. I would love to play again, and what better place to do it than where I started? Not to mention, I was the first-ever pick in Las Vegas.” But what about his prison sentence?

Henry, after the crash, faced multiple counts of felony, including a DUI causing death, which also included a reported gun charge as a loaded gun was found in his car. Initially, it was expected that Ruggs could face penalties, which could lead to imprisonment up to 50 years; however, after the plea deal, the sentence was reduced to 3-10 years. So, Ruggs, who was sentenced on August 9, 2023, will be eligible for parole after 3 years, and so he could be paroled out in 2026. But before that could happen, Nick Saban caused a massive controversy.

Nick Saban’s stance on Henry Ruggs’ crash

The off-the-field misfortune of Henry Ruggs is deeply concerning. But on the field? He was still the beast at Alabama and was a prospect with high potential at Alabama. So, the love for him might not be too lost at Alabama, and fans still love his on-field heroics. So, when Nick Saban came out with a statement blaming Ruggs’ friends for the crash, all hell broke loose.

“While he was drinking, and he had friends who could’ve told him, ‘You shouldn’t be driving; I’m not going to let you drive,” said Nick Saban. However, Kenny King Jr didn’t like Saban’s statement and came out harshly on the legendary CFB head coach.  “If we wanna place blame, place blame on him for getting behind the wheel. If you want to go deeper than that, blame Top Golf for overserving him. But to blame his friends is insane,” said Kenny King Jr.

Before the crash happened, Henry was reportedly at Top-Golf, a golfing venue, and spent several hours drinking with his friends. But when he was driving, Henry was with his girlfriend, Kilgo-Washington, as the crash happened at 3:39 am. The incident was truly horrific and altered lives for everyone involved. Only time and conscience will decide if Henry Ruggs gets to rewrite his story. Now that he is expected to be out on parole, what’s your take? Do you think he should get a second chance in the NFL?