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Though the Las Vegas Raiders are weeks removed from the November 2 car crash involving Henry Ruggs that led to the death of Tina Tintor and her dog, the situation still looms large over the franchise. The wide receiver was quickly released and faces over 50 years in prison, according to Clark County Nevada district attorney Steve Wolfson. He has a long road ahead of him before he can even consider a football comeback as a possibility.
Some of Ruggs’ former teammates have addressed the situation but Josh Jacobs has stayed relatively quiet on the matter. The Raiders running back played with Ruggs at Alabama and in the NFL. Needless to say, the two were very close. Jacobs finally spoke out about the situation and revealed that he has been keeping in contact with Ruggs.
“I’ve been over there a couple times to his house and talked to him and his family,” Jacobs said after Thursday’s practice. “I kept in contact with all of them throughout the whole process. … I know everybody. I’ve been knowing everybody. So it was definitely emotional for me.”
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Jacobs Expresses Love for Ruggs & Jon Gruden
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GettyJosh Jacobs & Henry Ruggs at Alabama.
Not only did Jacobs lose one of his closest teammates in Ruggs, but he also recently lost his head coach when Jon Gruden resigned due to a number of leaked offensive emails. Ruggs and Gruden aren’t popular figures right now but Jacobs still made sure to express his love for both of them. He also talked a bit more about his bond with Ruggs.
“I love them dudes,” Jacobs said. “With Henry especially, seeing everything around that whole week reminded me of him. He’d be right next to me in stretch. We’d go over offense or defense and he’s right next to me. I’ve spent the last five years with him. I definitely had a deeper emotional (bond) with that. It made coming to practice weird, it made being around people weird for me.”
Jacobs Wants to Get Back to Football
It was difficult for any Raiders to focus on football after the Ruggs news was revealed. Unfortunately for Jacobs, he didn’t get much time to process the situation. Despite the situation, he came to play that week against the New York Giants. He rushed for 76 yards and 5.8 yards a carry. It was far from his best game ever but it was the strongest performance of the season.
“I tried to come out the next game in New York and just play,” Jacobs said. “I kinda got emotional before that game, but once I stepped on the field, I was just like, ‘I’m gonna put it all on the line.’ It was probably my best game this year. So yeah, just trying to get back to football and the love of the game.”
It’s difficult to keep focused on football considering the situation but Jacobs doesn’t really have a choice. The Raiders will continue to move on as each day passes and keep the focus on the product they put on the field.
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