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Henry Ruggs crash: Derek Carr backs ex Raiders teammate, praised for 'perfect' response

The 30-year-old quarterback told reporters that he would stand by his former teammate even if nobody else did

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was lauded for his "genuine" response to the Tuesday crash involving his former teammate Henry Ruggs III that claimed the lives of a young woman and her pet dog.

Ruggs was driving at 156 mph while intoxicated more than twice the legal limit before he allegedly crashed his Corvette into another car, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her beloved pooch, Las Vegas police revealed. Carr spoke with the media on Wednesday in the aftermath of the tragedy. He told reporters that he would stand by his former teammate even if nobody else did.

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"I will always be here for him," Carr said. "That won't change. I'll prove that over the course of time to him. Not to anybody else. He needs people to love him right now. He's probably feeling a certain type of way about himself right now. He needs to be loved. If no one else will do it, I'll do it."

Carr recalled walking past Ruggs' locker and revealed how he received a text from him about improving his golf swing hours before the crash. "Doing things the right way, it sounds easy, but it’s not easy to do, and so I’m trying my best. And again, maybe sometime in the offseason, I’ll have time to think about all this. I will tell you I walked by, and I saw Henry’s locker today and for whatever reason that got me. Like he’s not going to be there. Not because he’s fast, not because of what he can do for me, but because of the person that he is and because I love him," Carr said. "I mean he literally texted me at midnight of a golf swing, me and Hunter (Renfrow), ‘How’s my swing look? You guys need to help me.’ Just seeing that and then getting the news when we woke up. How am I supposed to handle that? How am I supposed to react?"

The 30-year-old QB also said how he wished he could have done something to prevent the tragedy. "I do sit back and I think — did I not let him know that I’d be there for him at 3 am? I want to be better. Could I have been better to help? I just wish I could have done something."

Social media was inundated with praises for Carr over his "genuine" response to the situation.

"An almost impossible question and subsequent answer to get *right, or say the right thing. Because there is no right thing to say to this. But he did it about as well as one can. Didn’t know much about the guy, but the raiders are lucky to have him. That is a leader," one tweeted.

"Have a lot of respect for D. Carr after this. Very Honest and aware of the situation. It's honestly distasteful if a reporter asks anyone to comment on an event that cost a person their life. The questions are for Ruggs and his people in a courtroom," another chimed in.

"If the raiders make the playoffs he should be MVP for leading this team through the insanity this team has dealt with this year," a comment read, referring to Carr.
 
"I like to sh** on the Raiders all the time. But respect to Carr for his genuine answer. Terrible situation and condolences to the family of the victim," a user wrote.

"Everyone saying carr “didn’t say anything” or “had a bad response” probably dropped out of school or failed multiple grades. Damn, y'all are dumb as hell. Carr had a perfect response. It is NOT his job to hold Ruggs accountable. He said exactly what he had to say perfectly," another added.