Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs’ sentence to at least three years in prison for his role in a crash that killed a Las Vegas woman may not spell the end of his NFL career.
As history has shown, the NFL has been willing to offer players who have broken the law a second chance to get back on the field.
This has happened in other cases, such as that of Ruggs, in which the players were declared legally responsible for traffic accidents that cost the lives of other people. Or, as Michael Vick’s dogfighting saga nearly 15 years ago demonstrated, even when someone commits a heinous crime that carries not only jail time, but also incredible public outrage.
The league’s past willingness to forgive clearly leaves a door open for Ruggs to restart his career.
But there are challenges. Among them, getting back into NFL shape after missing nearly five seasons and finding a team willing to accept any backlash from the public his signing would create. Plus, that team would have to convince the league that it deserves reinstatement.
The NFL declined to comment on Ruggs’ situation. Several team executives did not respond to requests for comment.
Ruggs has been suspended indefinitely by the league for his role in the 2021 crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of felony DUI resulting in death and one count of vehicular manslaughter, receiving a prison sentence of three to 10 years.
If, as some legal analysts estimate, Ruggs serves three years of his sentence, he would be 27 at the time of his release. That would still leave him in the prime of athletic life.
Assuming he stays in shape over the next three years, it’s easy to imagine him shaking off the rust and recapturing or approaching the athletic form he displayed during his first two seasons with the Raiders.
The most recent and comparable example would be Vick, the former NFL quarterback who served 18 months in jail for running a dogfighting ring. Following his release in 2009, the then-29-year-old was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
At the time, several teams said they weren’t interested in bringing the former Falcons star into their ranks, due to the widespread scorn and scorn his crimes had sparked in the public eye. And that will certainly be a challenge for Ruggs, given the tragic results of his actions.
But the Eagles, then under current Chiefs coach Andy Reid, were willing to sign Vick to a two-year deal. By September of the following season, Vick had become the starting quarterback, beginning a successful five-year career with the Eagles.
Second chances have also been given in cases of NFL players found legally responsible for the deaths of other people.
Donte Stallworth, Leonard Little and Josh Brent were behind the wheel in alcohol-related traffic accidents that claimed lives. After concluding their legal obligations, all three returned to play in the NFL.
Neither faced the lengthy return-to-the-field delay that Ruggs faces, however. Stallworth, Brent and Little returned to the field between one and two years after their crimes.
If Ruggs manages to stay in shape, as Vick did during his 18 months in prison, he’ll still be young enough to get his body back in shape for the NFL.
The questions will be: Will the NFL be willing to forgive? And will there be any team willing to give it a second chance, knowing how drastic the public reaction could be?
