It’s been a rough few weeks for Derek Carr and the Raiders. Just when they thought the scandal with Jon Gruden would top their season, a teammate would be released from the team after a deadly and drunk accident resulted in the loss of a life.
Las Vegas Raiders coach Rich Bisaccia and quarterback Derek Carr addressed Wednesday what happened with former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III.
“First of all, we want to express our sincere condolences to the victim’s family,” Bisaccia said in a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “A person lost their life yesterday morning, and we think it’s important to keep focus on that as we talk about this tragic event. We’re deeply saddened for everyone affected, especially the victim’s family.
“That being said, we love Henry Ruggs. We want him to know that. It’s a terrible lapse in judgment, of the most horrific kind. It’s something he’ll have to live with the rest of his life. The gravity of the situation is not lost on anyone here, and we understand and respect the loss of life.”
Then it was Derek Carr’s turn, who revealed he received text messages from Ruggs wanting him and Hunter Renfrow to evaluate a video of his golf swing, Carr said.
Carr added: “My emotions have been on a roller coaster, so to speak, this year. My heart goes out so much … to the family, to all the families involved. No one ever wants to see this, whether it’s a football player or not, you never want to see something like this happen. It broke my wife and I’s heart, honestly. We talked about it a little bit, but I can only talk about it so much.
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“But at the same time, whether it’s fair or not, I have to compartmentalize, and I have a job to do. These are two totally different situations. Some similar emotions, some very different emotions. But the message has to stay the same. Honestly I don’t want it to right now, if I’m selfish. … I want to say a lot of different things, but we have a game this week, and I’ve got a job to do. And so do the guys in that locker room.
“I don’t know the right way to handle it, but I’m doing my best.”
Ruggs III was driving 156 miles per hour just seconds before he would collide with and kill a 23-year-old woman and her dog. Late Tuesday night, the Raiders showed they had no interest in letting the court system play out and promptly released him from the roster.
“As we all gained more information, (Raiders owner) as Mark (Davis) gained more information, our official team met upstairs and I think we came to the conclusion, and Mark thought it best for the organization, to do that (release Ruggs),” Bisaccia said. “I think there are two separate entities: There’s Henry Ruggs the football player, which is no longer part of the Raiders, and there’s Henry Ruggs the person, who is certainly going through what he’s going through and is going to have to pay the consequences for the actions.”
