Ruggs eligible for parole Aug. 5; NFL return uncertain pending league discipline.

Ruggs, 27, is awaiting a Nevada Board of Parole decision by June 14 with earliest parole eligibility on Aug. 5, three years after pleading guilty to DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter in a November 2021 crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor. At his parole hearing, Ruggs told the board he thinks about Tintor's death every day and asked for 'the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone.' A first-round pick by the Raiders in 2020, Ruggs had 24 catches for 469 yards and two touchdowns in seven games in 2021 before the Raiders released him hours after he was charged. Ruggs has expressed interest in returning to the NFL when released from prison and told a Hope For Prisoners group gathering in Las Vegas last year that he wanted to return to football. Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs, a former teammate at Alabama and with the Raiders, said last year that Ruggs was training in prison and that he had talked to other NFL teams on Ruggs' behalf, with 'a couple teams' seeming 'willing to give him a chance.' Ruggs is a free agent and could sign with any team. If Ruggs signs with an NFL team, he would be subject to the league's personal-conduct policy, which can lead to punishment including suspension even without a criminal conviction. The policy gives the league ample latitude to impose discipline depending on aggravating and mitigating factors. It is unclear whether or how much the league would factor Ruggs' time served in prison and four-year absence from the NFL. The NFL did not immediately respond when asked for comment about whether Ruggs would face discipline if he were to sign with a team. Historical precedent: In 2009, Donte' Stallworth pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter with a blood-alcohol level of 0.126; Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth for the full 2009 season, he was reinstated in 2010 and played three more NFL seasons. There is little precedent for Ruggs' situation since the personal-conduct policy was overhauled in 2014.