Las Vegas Raiders made right call releasing Henry Ruggs III

The Las Vegas Raiders made the right move in releasing Henry Ruggs III before the full report of his DUI incident was released to the public

The Las Vegas Raiders looked like they were having an incredible bye week. The LA Chargers lost at home to the New England Patriots, the Kansas City Chiefs looked as shaky as ever against the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos traded away future Hall of Famer Von Miller. Things were looking just peachy for the Raiders as they somehow gained ground in the AFC despite not playing in Week 8.

As we have learned in this millennium with the Raiders, as soon as things seem to be going too well, the other shoe drops and something terrible happens. We as fans have dealt with some ridiculous things in recent years like the Antonio Brown fiasco and Jon Gruden’s resignation over scandalous emails but nothing compares to this situation with Henry Ruggs III.

From the facts that we knew on Tuesday, at around 4AM Ruggs was traveling at over 120MPH in Las Vegas before colliding with another vehicle which lead to the death of a 23-year-old female driver. Ruggs appeared to be mostly OK but his passenger, reportedly his girlfriend, was injured in the crash and both were taken to the hospital.

He was arrested and booked to the local jail to await charges.

Aside from the initial shock of the reports, many of us wanted to know the full story before passing judgment on the situation. Was Ruggs actually intoxicated or was he just dazed from the crash? Was it a case of DUI or reckless driving? Both of which are equally irresponsible, but one is considerably more selfish and dangerous.

Raiders release Henry Ruggs III

The Raiders either knew the facts of the case well before we did, or decided that it didn’t matter what the details were because they chose to release Henry Ruggs late on Wednesday night and they made the right decision in doing so. Many NFL teams would have waited to let the legal process play out because as we know, charges do not always hold up in the court of law no matter what it looks like on the surface.

It was reported Wednesday morning that Ruggs was traveling well over 150 MPH before the crash and per a blood test, had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. The present facts are damning for Ruggs and it paints a picture of an irresponsible decision that quickly turned tragic due to one person’s selfish behavior.

This is not to paint Ruggs as an evil person or pass judgment on him, something the courts in Nevada will have to do, but to remind us of how quickly life, or in this case a few lives, can be turned upside down.

Henry Ruggs made a terrible decision to get in his vehicle after drinking and it is an unfortunate reality that millions of Americans do the same every year. Many of these situations pass without incident or at worst they get cited for DUI and move on with their lives.

In the case of Ruggs, his family, and the woman who died as a result of the crash, no one will be moving on from this incident anytime soon.

The Raiders as an organization have had to deal with their fair share of controversy over the years but despite the renegade reputation they have, this is the first serious legal issue a player has faced in some time now. Their decision to release Ruggs as quickly as they did speak to how seriously they have taken this situation and how quickly they want to put it behind them.

When Mark Davis accepted Jon Gruden’s resignation he remarked that no one player or coach is bigger than the shield and in the case of Henry Ruggs, his actions more than warranted his removal from the team. The Raiders organization should be commended for their swift action in making it known that what Ruggs did is unacceptable by any standard, including the standards of the team.

They will be hoping that this is a lesson for all the players and coaches that when you make selfish decisions that harm yourself and others, not even the Raiders can shield you from the consequences.