Raiders Opinion: Peering Inside Fandom

You’re allowed to feel how you want about the Henry Ruggs III alleged DUI accident and subsequent release. As somebody who’s been on both sides of the wheel, I’ll never excuse drunk driving. It only takes one bad ride to change your life or somebody else’s. I know because I lost a close friend to a drunk driver, I got hit by a drunk driver a few years ago and I injured myself severely by wrecking my own car into an empty parked car when I was young and under the influence. 

Around FPC

NFL: First Thoughts: Henry Ruggs And Responsibility

NFL: Melvin Ingram Acquired By Chiefs Before Trade Deadline

AFC: Nitpicks & Nitwits: Patriots Back On Playoff Track?

NHL: Gary Bettman, Bill Daly Hold Press Conference In Respo

Wrestling: Ring of Honor Announces Hiatus, Releases All Talent

PODCAST: The Eye Test For Two – Ep 80: Seth Wickersham Joins To Talk Brady, Patriots, and More

Mourning

Still, all Raiders fans need time to process. You can grieve the victim and pray for their family while also feeling empathy for the driver and his family. You can miss the player as much as you hate the action. Also, love the player and hate the person. How you feel about Ruggs is up to you. Loving our players is what makes Raider Nation special. Wanting to win and also wanting to do the right thing is the creed of the Silver and Black. That’s part of the reason we said goodbye to Jon Gruden, despite the fact he’s our only coach to win a playoff game in 25 years. 

Not The Same

Obviously, Gruden and Ruggs are totally different situations. Both were supposed to be offensive pillars propelling us into NFL royalty over the next few years. Both were gone before they were able to deliver on their promises. Fair or foul, this is a lot for any fan base to go through over the course of the month. It seems like the Raiders were finally being taken seriously as contenders. The Chiefs and Broncos are down bad. Maybe we finally broke free from the curse of mediocrity? 

Face Forward

Boom, here we are talking about everything but football. Once again, we are all looking towards Sunday to talk about x’s and o’s. It’s a welcomed distraction from bickering about the joes. Many of us hoped for a trade before the trade deadline. We wanted to get better after some rest through the bye week. Instead, our team got worse by losing their x-factor. Our prospects became more tragic but not anywhere close to the victim’s family tragedy. Who cares if we trade for a receiver or defensive tackle anymore? 

Restraint

I’m going to refrain from any fire metaphors out of respect to the victims of the Nov. 2 accident. Regardless, it all felt like we got the rug pulled from underneath us when news broke that our first-ever Las Vegas Raiders draft pick was involved in an accident involving fatalities. That still doesn’t compare to the family who lost their loved one’s care and experience. The cringes only got worse when news broke that Ruggs was driving twice the freeway speed limit with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and an illegal gun in the car. A player who was just scratching the surface of his potential now faces two felonies with a 2-20 year sentence.

Sad Irony 

Vegas let Ruggs walk without any due process since it looks like he will face serious jail time. It is ironic since Ruggs often pays tribute to his best friend who was lost in a tragic car accident. He saw pro and college teammate Josh Jacobs squeak by his own possible DUI charge after a car accident. Now, Ruggs is being made an example. Ruggs is the latest example of zero tolerance and how nobody is bigger than the Raiders’ shield. He is an example of why you should always call an uber or use the NFL’s ride service. An example of how a series of bad decisions can turn into a bad night that ruins lives and potential. An example of how people who know better can do better. Meanwhile, this isn’t the same NFL as the one Donte Stallworth or Leonard Little played in. That’s all fair considering the circumstances. 

Reality

Well, there’s an idea that he might get off because prominent people usually get lesser punishment, it could go the opposite way for Ruggs. The D.A. should probably show no remorse with a deal due to the gruesome details of the accident. A jury and judge might also not show any sympathy to a 22-year-old millionaire. Vegas will send a message to the NFL Not in our state or city. That’s probably the right thing to do but does that make this situation any less sad? 

Historical Instances

Stallworth and Little continued their careers after minimum jail time and probation. They also did the work, showed remorse and their accidents were under totally different circumstances. Different times, place,s and details mean Ruggs will not get the same treatment. He probably doesn’t deserve it either but I am in no place to judge. If you feel like they should throw the book at Ruggs, I don’t blame you. I also understand if you feel like the Raiders shouldn’t kick a man when he is down or judge somebody off a terrible night. Don’t let Twitter fool you. Two things can be true and it’s ok to feel both. 

Chill In The Air

The point is, this is a sad and ugly situation for all those involved. The victims deserve justice and the dude responsible deserves to be held accountable. It could’ve been any of us driving home late in that Rav4. Still, it’s hypocritical for any of us to ignore the fact that many of us push that legal drinking limit, speed limit, and gun laws every day. Would we want our son, brother or dad to lose everything even if they were guilty of such a grand sin? 

Fanbase Thought

Nonetheless, Raiders fans got to stick together. Give each other time and space to process and feel. If anybody can get through all this adversity, it’s us in RaiderNation. Many of us are already asking, is it Sunday yet? We need the distraction. We need to know our team will be ok.

Pad Up

Next man up. Stay focused on the goal. Time to win, baby. The Lakers proved that tragedy and adversity can bring a team together when they won in the Orlando bubble after losing Kobe in the middle of the COVID season. That was barely a year after Magic Johnson walked out on them too. Honestly, the Raiders’ circumstances are totally different from the Lakers a few years ago. However, that team provides a precedent for champions being brought together when they have every reason to fall apart. Maybe winning is the Raiders’ only silver lining amidst a season where it’s exhausting to be a fan. Imagine being a player or employee? Yet, I totally understand if winning is not enough for you to get over Ruggs or this entire season too.