What Former NFL Star Henry Ruggs' Life In Prison Is Really Like

Henry Ruggs III had a promising future in the NFL. After being the first wide receiver drafted in 2020, he played two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. But the NFL star has ruined his career in a matter of seconds. Ruggs has been behind bars for causing a deadly car accident since August 2023. So what's life behind bars really like for him? The former athlete is spending his days training hard, staying focused on a comeback, and showing he's not done with football just yet.

In November 2021, Ruggs was driving his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with his girlfriend and mother of his young daughter at speeds reaching 156 mph in a 45 mph area when he collided with another vehicle, causing it to burst into flames. The 23-year-old driver, Tina Tintor, and her dog died in the fire. In May 2023, he agreed to plead guilty to a DUI resulting death charge and was later sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. This means he'll be between 27 and 34 when he's released.

Prosecutors opted to strike a deal because Ruggs' defense team had been fighting to prevent his blood sample, which showed his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, from being used in court, a possibility prosecutors didn't want to risk, KRNV News 4 reported. Six months after the accident, the former sports star spent a month in a mental health facility in California receiving treatment for PTSD, Fox5 KVVU-TV reported. Some of Ruggs' former teammates have supported him since then and are doing what they can to ensure he'll have a future when he gets out. 

Henry Ruggs doesn't know when he'll be released from prison, but it could be as early as August 2026. That's when he'll first be eligible for parole. And he hopes to get back on the football field. His former teammate at the Alabama Crimson Tide and later the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh Jacobs, revealed Ruggs has been training at the Stewart Conservation Camp in Nevada to boost his chances of a second chance. "He's positive about everything. He's training. They let him train and things like that," he said on "The Pivot Podcast" in April.

Jacobs plans to do whatever he can to help him make his comeback. In fact, he already is. "I've been talking to some people for him," he said. "They've been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance." He hopes Ruggs is able to go back to playing and that he uses the opportunity to rise above his terrible mistake. "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,'" he added.

Besides training, Ruggs also works at the Nevada Governor's Mansion in Carson City, earning $2.50 an hour, KLAS 8 News Now reported in May 2024. He can work outside of jail because he's classified as a community trusty, an inmate deemed low risk for escape and misbehavior.