NFLPA ride service had been discontinued
Uber, Lyft took its place recently
A ride service offered by the NFL Players Association was not available to ex-raiders receiver Henry Ruggs on the night of the deadly crash for which he’s facing a DUI charge.
In 2010, the NFLPA began offering the Player Transportation Link service, which allowed current and former NFL players to call an 800 number at any time to be picked up from anywhere with no questions asked, according to NFLPA spokesman Brandon Parker.
But as ride-hailing options like Uber and Lyft gained in popularity in recent years, the NFLPA decided to end the service in 2019, Parker said.
Although the service ended, Parker said union officials regularly discuss with players the significance of making safe choices behind the wheel.
“We do make a point during our annual team meetings to remind players about the importance of using safe practices when driving and that their union serves as a continued resource for them whenever they need it,” Parker said in an email.
The Raiders weren’t immediately available to comment on if the team had its own transportation service available to players.
Ruggs’ vehicle crashed into the rear of a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Tina Tintor on Rainbow Boulevard while allegedly traveling 127 mph at the time of impact. Tintor and her dog died as a result.
A Las Vegas police report notes Ruggs’ girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-washington, who was a passenger in his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, said the couple had been at Topgolf Las Vegas earlier that evening, before heading to a friend’s house. She noted they ordered alcoholic drinks, of which she had two, but said she wasn’t sure how many, if any, Ruggs had consumed.
The District Attorney’s office noted Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was 0.16, twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada. Ruggs is facing charges of DUI resulting in death and reckless driving.
Andrew Bennett, Nevada Department of Public Safety spokesman, said he hopes the attention the Ruggs case is garnering can be used as a point of education, to point out no one is invincible.
“At the end of the day DUI and fatal crashes are a great equalizer,” Bennett said. “This crash proves, regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, you can be affected by traffic violence or create that violence for yourself. There are so many excuses not to get behind the wheel impaired. I’m so disappointed not only in him (Ruggs) but the people around him that might have been able to prevent this from happening.”