Josh Jacobs: Henry Ruggs is training in prison in hopes of second NFL chance

Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs remains incarcerated at Casa Grande Transitional Housing in Las Vegas. His earliest parole-eligibility date is Aug. 5, 2026, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections records.

His former Alabama and Raiders teammate, Josh Jacobs, said Ruggs is keeping in shape in prison with hopes of a second shot at the NFL.

“Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he’s always positive,” Jacobs said on Ryan Clark's The Pivot Podcast, via Mark Inabinett of AL.com. "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.’ I’ve been talking to some people for him. They’ve been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance. 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, 26, was the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft, but in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2021, he was driving at excessive speed while under the influence of alcohol. Ruggs' Corvette struck a car driven by 23-year-old Tina Tintor, who died in the wreck.

In May 2023, Ruggs pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The plea deal sentenced Ruggs to prison from 36 to 120 months for the first count and six months for the second count.

“I instantly get mad," Jacobs said of initially learning what happened. "And then when I start finding out more about the story and about how they were supposed to be racing. I’m like, ‘Who was he with?’ 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.’

“And then not only that, he’s a good kid. He’s never been in trouble. I’ve never seen him do nothing crazy. He was just one of them guys that have a very, very unfortunate situation and something happened, a decision that he made. That’s what hurt me the most. Man, he isn’t somebody you would look at and be like, ‘Bro, you deserved this to happen to you.’”