Could he really play for Raiders again?
This will be a conversation in the future.
It’s very likely former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs will attempt a comeback after a prison term. Ruggs is eligible to be paroled from a Nevada state prison in August, 2026.
He has recently stated he wants to attempt to play in the league again and he has been working out. There have been reports by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Sports Illustrated that suggest there will be interest from teams in the NFL in Ruggs after he is released.
While recently appearing at a Hope for Prisoners event Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Ruggs talked about a return to the game and he mentioned that he would be open to playing for the Raiders again. He mentioned about wanting to finish what he started.
Ruggs, who will be 27 when he’s eligible for release, was given a temporary special release from the Nevada state prison system to speak at the event.
‘I wish I could turn back the hands of time’: former Raider Henry Ruggs speaks nearly 4 years after fatal Las Vegas DUI crashhttps://t.co/gSBl5bp9V2 #vegas via @bryanhorwath
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) June 18, 2025
Ruggs pled guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter stemming from a November 2021 Las Vegas car crash in which Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog were killed.
Police stated that Ruggs was driving drunk at 156 mph on a Las Vegas city street in the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, when he crashed into Tintor’s car, causing it to burst into flames. The Raiders released Ruggs later that day.
Ruggs was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison by a judge in a Nevada state prison in a Las Vegas courtroom in 2023. The three years is based off of good behavior.
The Alabama product was in his second season and was a starting wide receiver at the time of his arrest. He was the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2020.
If Ruggs does get paroled next year and does attempt a comeback, should the Raiders have mutual interest in him?
This is a complicated, fragile topic that will be addressed in the future but it’s been on my mind in the past few weeks.
My gut sense is no, the Raiders shouldn’t pursue Ruggs.
They need to to just keep it in the past and let him start fresh somewhere else.
It’s best for the Las Vegas community as a whole and for Tintor’s friends and family. They need to move on from this the best they can and Ruggs playing in the city again would be a tough look and wouldn’t be a great message to send to the citizens of the city.
Often, when athletes leave a team in disgrace and then they make a comeback, it’s attempted elsewhere. That needs to the case for Ruggs. Time heals, but memories remain. Basically, Ruggs’ time with the Raiders has been over for nearly four years and it should stay that way.
This will be a subject again, but I doubt it gets to the point where I would think it’s in the team’s and community’s best interest to reconnect with Ruggs.