| Henry Ruggs | |
| |
| Ruggs with Alabama. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | January 24 1999 |
| Montgomery, Alabama | |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 188 lbs (85 kg) |
| Personal information | |
| High school: | Robert E. Lee (Montgomery, Alabama) |
| College: | Alabama |
| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th |
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Henry James Ruggs III (born January 24, 1999) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons. He was a three-sport athlete in high school and played college football at Alabama. Ruggs was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[1]
During his second season, Ruggs caused a motor vehicle collision that killed the driver on another car. He was released by the Raiders the same day. Ruggs pled guilty to driving under the influence (DUI) resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter in 2023 and was sentenced to three to 10 years in a Nevada state prison. He is currently incarcerated at the Stewart Conservation Camp.
Early years[]
Ruggs grew up in Montgomery, Alabama.[2] In the eighth grade, Ruggs was promoted to the varsity football team for the final two games of their season.[2] He attended Robert E. Lee High School.[3] Ruggs did not play high school football until his junior year and received his first scholarship offer after just his second game on the gridiron.[2] As a senior, he had 38 catches for 639 yards and 20 total touchdowns over nine games.[4] Of those 20 touchdowns, nine were catches, seven were rushes, three were passes, and one was a kick return.[5] In addition to football, Ruggs played basketball and ran track in high school, and his 10.58-second 100-meter dash time broke the Alabama High School Athletic Association's class 7A record.[6] In 2017, 247Sports.com ranked Ruggs as the second best high school football player in Alabama.[7] Ruggs received scholarship offers from over 20 colleges to play football, but ultimately committed to the University of Alabama.[6][8][9]
College career[]
As a true freshman at Alabama in 2017, Ruggs had 12 receptions for 229 yards and six touchdowns.[10] As a sophomore in 2018, he had 46 receptions for 741 yards and 11 touchdowns.[11][12] As a junior in 2019, he had 40 receptions for 746 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[13] During his junior season, Ruggs was also the team's primary kick returner and averaged 23.8 yards per return.[13] His 24 total career receiving touchdowns places him third on Alabama's all-time leaderboard.[5] On January 6, 2020, Ruggs announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.[14]
Professional career[]
All values from NFL Combine[15]| Ht | Wt | Arm lengthHand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in | 188 lb | 30 1/2 in | 10 1/8 in | 4.27 s | 42.0 in | 10 ft 11 in |
Ruggs ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine, which was the fastest time by any prospect by .08 seconds, and tied for the fourth-fastest ever at the event since electronic timing began in 1999.[5][16] Ruggs' vertical jump measured 42-inches, which was tied for the second best mark among wide receivers at the 2020 combine.[17] The Las Vegas Raiders selected Ruggs with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, making him the first wide receiver taken.[18] The selection made Ruggs the first ever draft pick of the Las Vegas Raiders after their move from Oakland earlier in the 2020 offseason.[19] Ruggs was the Raiders’ second consecutive first round pick of a player from the University of Alabama, joining 2019 first round running back Josh Jacobs.[20] On July 21, 2020, the Raiders and Ruggs agreed to terms on a fully guaranteed four-year contract worth $16.67 million, with a team option for a fifth-year.[21]
2020[]
On September 13, 2020, Ruggs made his NFL debut in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, finishing with three receptions for 55 yards in the 34–30 win.[22] During Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Ruggs finished with 118 receiving yards on only two receptions, which included a 72-yard touchdown his first NFL career touchdown, as the Raiders won 40–32.[23] In Week 13 against the New York Jets, Ruggs recorded three catches for 84 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown reception with 5 seconds left in the game to help the Raiders win by a score of 31–28.[24] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 15, 2020,[25] and activated on December 24.[26]
2021[]
In the 2021 season, Ruggs had 24 receptions, 469 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in seven games.
Ruggs was released on November 2, 2021, following allegations of driving under the influence that led to a fatality. His two-season stint with the Raiders totaled 20 games, 1,197 all-purpose yards, and four touchdowns.
NFL statistics[]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | LV | 13 | 12 | 26 | 452 | 17.4 | 72T | 2 | 9 | 49 | 5.4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | LV | 7 | 7 | 24 | 469 | 19.5 | 61 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 20 | 19 | 50 | 921 | 18.4 | 72T | 4 | 12 | 65 | 5.4 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Personal life[]
Ruggs credits his late friend Roderic Scott with encouraging him to play football in high school.[7] Scott died in a car accident at 17 years of age, and Ruggs honors him with a three-fingered salute after every touchdown because Scott wore number 3 on the football field.[7] Ruggs’ brother Kevontae played college football for Ole Miss in 2018 before transferring to Eastern Mississippi Community College in 2019.[27]
In April 2020, Henry Ruggs partnered with Three Square, a southern Nevada food bank, to donate meals to those in need because of the Coronavirus pandemic.[28]
On May 7, 2020, Ruggs’ daughter was born to his long-term girlfriend Rudy Washington.[29]
2021 fatal car crash[]
On November 2, 2021, Ruggs rear-ended another car at high speed in Las Vegas, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog, according to Las Vegas police and county prosecutors. Ruggs has been charged with driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless driving.
Hours before the incident, Ruggs and his girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-Washington, were seen drinking at a Topgolf location in Las Vegas. They left after midnight in his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Police said that shortly thereafter, about 3:39 a.m. PT, Ruggs was driving 156 miles per hour (251 km/h). He attempted to brake as he approached a Toyota RAV4 being driven by Tintor, but slammed into it at 120 miles per hour (190 km/h), police said. The Clark County Coroner determined that Tintor and her dog burned to death as her vehicle was engulfed in flames following the collision.
Ruggs and Kilgo-Washington were transported to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMCSN) with non-life-threatening injuries.
Legal proceedings[]
Upon his release from the hospital, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department booked him into the Clark County Detention Center. Ruggs appeared in court the following day, and Judge Joe M. Bonaventure set bail at $150,000. On March 10, 2022 a judge postponed Ruggs' preliminary hearing until May 19, with Ruggs' attorney stating that various inspections still needed to be done. If convicted, he faces 3 to 26 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, 2–20 years for the fatal DUI crash, 1–6 years for reckless driving causing death, and up to $5,000 in fines for each.
Police reports show Ruggs had refused to take a field sobriety test, and his blood test was taken 2 hours following the crash, revealing a blood alcohol content of 0.161%, more than twice the legal limit in Nevada. Ruggs defense attorney, David Chesnoff, argued that Ruggs was unable to submit a field sobriety test because of his injuries sustained in the accident, and claimed the blood test shouldn't be admissible as evidence since the police did not have probable cause to obtain a blood test. Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman rejected Chesnoff's arguments and ruled that the blood test is admissible as evidence in the case.
On May 10, 2023, as part of a plea agreement, Ruggs pleaded guilty to one count of felony DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Prosecutors said they reached a plea deal due to concerns the blood draw would be thrown out, and with it the only evidence to support the felony DUI charge. They were not willing to chance Ruggs only facing charges of reckless driving, which could have only resulted in probation. He was sentenced on August 9, 2023, to spend between three and ten years at High Desert State Prison in Nevada.
Response[]
The Las Vegas Raiders released Ruggs later on November 2, 2021.
Various football players and coaches made public statements. Derek Carr, a former Raiders teammate, said Ruggs needs to be loved and that "if no one else will do it, I'll do it". Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said, "We want to express our sincere condolences to the victim's family". Kadarius Toney of the New York Giants drew criticism for seeming to ignore the gravity of the situation and excuse Ruggs when he tweeted, "We young…..everybody make mistakes… he know he messed up don’t drag em for it……that's goofy to me…." Nick Saban, who coached Ruggs on the Alabama Crimson Tide college football team, said, "We're going to support him through it, but we also have a lot of compassion for the victims, and our thoughts and prayers are also with them." Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, who both played with Ruggs at Alabama, also spoke on the matter. Tagovailoa said, "You'd never think this guy could hurt a soul, so when you see something like that – I mean, I'm still kind of in disbelief. But, obviously my heart goes out to the family that has been affected by it. But my heart also goes out to Henry as my teammate, ex-teammate." Hurts said, "It's unfortunate to see a situation like that unfold, and I'll just kind of leave it at that. It hurts my heart for everybody involved."
References[]
- ↑ Pashelka, Curtis. "Raiders select game-breaker in Alabama's Henry Ruggs III", San Jose Mercury News, April 23, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Champlin, Drew. "Lee-Montgomery receiver Henry Ruggs' commitment to football rewarded with major offers.", Birmingham News, May 12, 2016.
- ↑ Henry Ruggs III, Robert E. Lee , Wide Receiver (in en-US).
- ↑ Rankin, Duane. RTG: 5-star Ruggs III wants fast start at Alabama (in en).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Martin, Gus. "NFL Draft: Five Things to Know about Henry Ruggs III, the Raiders' New Wide Receiver.", USA Today, April 24, 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Klass, Kym. "Henry Ruggs III: Robert E. Lee.", Montgomery Advisor, June 26, 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Byington, Alex. "Tide WR Continues to Honor Late Friend with Every Score", Montgomery Advisor, October 28, 2018.
- ↑ Ostendorf, Greg (February 1, 2017). ESPN 300 WR Henry Ruggs III honors late friend, chooses Alabama.
- ↑ Kirschner, Chris. BREAKING: Alabama adds commitment from explosive 4-star, All-American WR Henry Ruggs.
- ↑ Darrington, Kamarri (January 12, 2018). Henry Ruggs III exceeds own expectations at Alabama (in en).
- ↑ Paschall, David (March 28, 2019). Alabama's Jerry Jeudy not resting on last year's accomplishments.
- ↑ Byington, Alex (November 20, 2018). Alabama WR Henry Ruggs flashing elite speed in sophomore season.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Henry Ruggs III 2019 Game Log (in en).
- ↑ Sallee, Barrett (January 6, 2020). 2020 NFL Draft: Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III becomes latest Crimson Tide star to declare.
- ↑ NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Henry Ruggs.
- ↑ Legwold, Jeff. "Alabama's Henry Ruggs wows at NFL combine with 4.27 time in 40", ESPN.com, February 27, 2020.
- ↑ Raven, Benjamin (March 2, 2020). Alabama's Henry Ruggs III didn't break records but sits alone as fastest in loaded WR class..
- ↑ Hudson, Brett (April 23, 2020). Henry Ruggs taken by Raiders in first round of NFL Draft (in en).
- ↑ Rittenhouse, Duke (April 25, 2020). Alabama's Ruggs Chosen as Team's First Draft Pick..
- ↑ Dubow, Josh (April 24, 2020). Raiders draft speedy receiver Henry Ruggs 12th overall..
- ↑ Raiders reportedly reach deal with first-round WR Henry Ruggs III (in en-US) (July 21, 2020).
- ↑ Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers - September 13th, 2020 (in en).
- ↑ Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs - October 11th, 2020 (in en).
- ↑ Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets - December 6th, 2020 (in en).
- ↑ "Raiders sign Vic Beasley to 53-man roster, designate Takk McKinley for return from IR", December 15, 2020.
- ↑ Simmons, Myles. "Derek Carr has no injury status, Henry Ruggs activated off COVID-19 list", December 24, 2020.
- ↑ Byington, Alex (January 14, 2020). 'Nothing but a chance': Kevontae' Ruggs searches for scholarship after JUCO season (in en-US).
- ↑ Inabinett, Mark. "Road to the Pros: Henry Ruggs III gets the call from Jon Gruden.", Press-Register: Web Edition Articles, April 29, 2020.
- ↑ Anderson, Mark (June 9, 2020). Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs announces birth of daughter (in en-US).
External links[]
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