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Josh Jacobs Shares Chilling Henry Ruggs Story

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated May 1, 2025 12:24 AM ET

Henry Ruggs III watched a promising young NFL career collapse in front of his eyes. The former Alabama Crimson Tide receiver and then-Las Vegas Raiders standout killed a woman and her dog in a vehicle collision in November 2021. Green Bay Packers tailback Josh Jacobs, then Ruggs' teammate, said on Tuesday that Ruggs invited him to hang out with him earlier that night.

"The sad part about it was, we talked about going out that night," Jacobs said on "The Pivot Podcast." "It wasn't nowhere crazy. He went to TopGolf, you feel me? He literally told me. He was like, 'Man, you coming?' I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna go.' It got late and I (was) like, 'Man, I'm not gonna step.'"

Jacobs told Ryan Clark he later woke up to calls from his lawyers telling him to let Ruggs know they'd represent him. A confused Jacobs was shocked when he went to social media to see. Ruggs had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system and was reportedly driving his Corvette at 156 mph.

"I'm like, 'Bro, it ain't no way,'" Jacobs said. "So, I instantly get mad, and then when I started finding out more about the story and ... how they were supposed to be racing, I'm like, 'Who was he with?' But he was with his family, so I went to his house, I had some words with some people over there and I'm just like, 'Man, y'all gotta understand, bro, like, he the breadwinner of the family.'"

Ruggs, the No. 12 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, had 50 receptions for 921 yards and four touchdowns over his two professional seasons. Jacobs maintains a relationship with him.

"You see, I got goosebumps, bro. You brought that up," Jacobs said. "I still talk to Henry. So, Henry still call me. I still help him out and all them type of things, his wife and his daughter, all of that. Like, we still connected. I know his whole family. You know, he's from Alabama. He played with me at 'Bama. His momma and them taught me how to bowl. ... It's real love on a deeper level when it come to Ruggs."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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