Henry Ruggs would "love" another shot at the NFL

Before he was known as prisoner 1273265, Henry Ruggs was No. 11 for the Raiders. That changed on a November night in 2021 when Ruggs drove 156 mph while under the influence.

He caused a fiery crash that killed Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog.

Ruggs spoke publicly to a Hope for Prisoners group Tuesday night, apologizing to Tintor’s family while expressing a desire to return to the field one day.

“Yes, I would love to [play again],” Ruggs said, via Bryan Horwath of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m in this newfound spiritual space, and I’m confident in who I am and what I can do, so, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll be ready.”

Ruggs was transferred to the Casa Grande Transitional Housing unit in Las Vegas late last year, allowing him to participate in a work release program. The transitional housing facility is less than a mile from Allegiant Stadium.

Ruggs, who becomes eligible for parole on Aug. 6, 2026, said he would welcome a return to the Raiders. Las Vegas drafted him 12th overall in 2020, and the team released him the day of his arrest.

“Why would I not?” Ruggs said. “I don’t feel like I ended on the terms that are meaningful to me and my core values. I would love to play again, and what better place to do it than where I started? Not to mention, I was the first-ever pick in Las Vegas.”

In an earlier PFT post, Mike Florio offered that one way for Ruggs to make amends would be not to pursue a return to the NFL “since that would only put his face in the news and/or the newspaper again,” forcing Tintor’s family to relive their nightmare.

Ruggs, though, sounds as if he hopes one day to shed prisoner 1273265 for another chance at jersey No. 11. For now, he is who he is and where he is because he can’t “turn back the hands of time.”

“If they call me ‘Henry’ or ‘Ruggs,’ I don’t even respond,” Ruggs said of fellow prisoners. “I don’t turn or acknowledge them, because that’s not who I am right now.”

If a team gives Ruggs a second chance after his release, the NFL will have to decide whether to suspend him and, if so, for how long.