Former Miami defensive end Rueben Bain was reportedly involved in a fatal vehicular collision in March 2024.
Via Ollie Connolly of The Read Optional, Bain was driving on I-95 in Miami when the car crashed into another vehicle before slamming into concrete barriers.
One of the passengers in the car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered serious injuries and never emerged from a coma. She died three months later.
The police report, per Connolly, found that Bain was “careless or negligent” in his operation of the vehicle. He was cited for careless driving. The charge was later dismissed.
All teams reportedly are aware of the incident. Albert Breer of SI notes that teams have known about it for a “long, long time,” and that a civil lawsuit arising from the crash was settled.
Although Connolly compares the situation to the 2016 draft-night slide experienced by tackle Laremy Tunsil, there’s a key difference. The bizarre video of Tunsil smoking marijuana in a gas-mask bong emerged minutes before the draft began. Teams were caught flatfooted, without a chance to investigate.
As to Bain, teams have had ample time to conduct a full investigation regarding Bain.
While some teams may be concerned about the P.R. impact of drafting players with past off-field incidents, the bigger question is whether there’s reason to believe the players will be susceptible to off-field incidents once he’s in the NFL. It’s a decision any team in position to select Bain will have to consider. For some players, falling in the draft helps provide the wakeup call that makes future issues less likely to occur.
The better comparison for Bain is Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter. He was involved in a fatal crash months before the draft. He slipped to No. 9 in the 2023 draft. He finished second in defensive rookie of the year voting, and he qualified for the Pro Bowl in 2024 and 2025.
Read the full article here
