Henry Ruggs car accident: How did teammates and coaches react to Raiders WR's DUI?
One bad decision can ruin the rest of your life; as Henry Ruggs is finding out. In the tragedy of the fatal crash, let us remember that at least he has the rest of his life in hands, which is something that cannot be said of the victim, a 23-year old who tragically passed away. Here's the latest on Henry Ruggs' case and how his teammates and coaches reacted to it.
Latest update on Henry Ruggs' situation
Henry Ruggs was charged with DUI leading to death and reckless driving. The latest reports suggest that he was driving at an astonishing 156 miles per hour when he crashed. His blood alcohol level was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit. He also had a loaded gun with him.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Eric Bauman said in court today that former Raiders' WR Henry Ruggs was traveling at 156 MPH before the car crash that left a 23-year-old woman dead, and Ruggs' blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
He appeared in front of the judge in Las Vegas wearing a neck brace and was seated in a wheelchair. The state had requested a USD 1 million bond, but the judge, Joe Bonaventure, set the bail at USD 150,000. Upon paying that he could get out of jail.
Henry Ruggs also had to surrender his passport. Other conditions dictate that he cannot consume alcohol or any controlled substances. Henry Ruggs also cannot drive in the interim, with the judge remarking that he had never seen a speed that high in his entire career on the bench.
What coaches and teammates, past and present, had to say about Henry Ruggs' situation
This whole saga has evoked reactions from those who best know Henry Ruggs. Rich Bisaccia, his coach at the Las Vegas Raiders, said,
“To be perfectly frank, I don’t really know if I can put into words the emotional feelings that certainly I went through and certainly I can’t speak for our players or our coaches, or our owner or our organization. I just know that for me as a parent and a person that cares about young people and that deals with young people every day, I really don’t know if I can quantify what the emotions are.”
Quarterback Derek Carr seemed equally stunned. He said,
“How am I supposed to handle that? How am I supposed to react? It broke my wife and I’s heart, honestly. He [Henry Ruggs] needs to be loved. If no one else will do it, I’ll do it... Whether it’s fair or not, I have to compartmentalize. I have a job to do.”
“He needs people to love him right now ... If no one else will do it, I’ll do it.”
Derek Carr says he'll always be there for former teammate Henry Ruggs. https://t.co/t3efYcNuaM
Former coach Nick Saban of Alabama also weighed in, saying,
"Our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to all involved in this tragic situation, especially the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with them. But our thoughts and prayers are also with Henry and his family. Because sometimes the consequences can be devastating. These consequences are going to probably be pretty devastating to Henry. We love him. 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."
His former quarterback in Alabama, and current Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, also weighed in,
“Obviously, my heart goes out to the families that have been affected by what had happened – the choices and decisions. My heart goes out to Henry, too, and his family. Obviously, it wasn’t the right choice or decision that he made at that time. I know he wishes he could have it back. But when I heard the news, that was tough for me to hear, just knowing the kind of person that Henry is. 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."
All of them seemed to echo a common thread that they could not quite believe what Henry Ruggs had done. They made it clear that they still had his back, while acknowledging that the real victim was the person who died. We can only hope that somebody is standing by the victim's family as well as the players and coaches have done by Henry Ruggs.