Major Red Flag Emerges with regard to Rueben Bain Jr.
By Walter Mitchell
For months, as pretty much everyone by now knows, I have been on the Team Bain bandwagon.
However, given the information that went public over the last 24 hours about two incidents where Reuben Bain Jr. was suspected by the police of "careless driving", one that tragically involved a three-month coma and eventual death of Destiny Betts, a 22-year-old Georgia student who was in his car, I cannot in good conscience continue to endorse him as a #3 pick. It's one thing for a player to be reckless on the football field, but quite another for him to reckless off the field.
Bengals News (4/13): Rueben Bain Jr. concern emerges (yahoo.com)
Ex-Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr. involved in 2024 car accident in which 1 person later died, report says
The crash report alleges Bain was driving a 2021 Land Rover SUV that had three other passengers — fellow Hurricanes football players Wesley Bissainthe and Nyjalik Kelly, along with a 22-year-old Georgia woman, Destiny Betts. Bain’s vehicle rear-ended another car, veered into a concrete barrier, then ricocheted into another barrier before coming to a rest on the shoulder of the highway.
Some will inevitably argue the severity of the allegations and cling to the fact that Bain was not convicted after each incident, but I am sick and tired of fans making excuses for questionable aspects of players' behaviors. For me to do so in this case, in light of how high I am on Rueben Bain Jr. as a prospect, would be hypocritical.
Just to be clear --- with me there is no debate --- we are talking about the #3 pick here --- the Cardinals have a chance to be sensible, as well they should be.
I am going to spend the next couple of days reconfiguring the top of my draft rankings, particularly as they pertain to the Cardinals best fits at #3.
On Wednesday's Red Rain Podcast 211, L'il Rock, Saguaro Sam, and I will reveal our top 3 choices.
Bain could work in the right situation — a stable, well-managed franchise with veteran presence and a proven development system. But in the hands of a dysfunctional organization like the Cardinals, who have a long history of mismanaging young talent and taking fliers on high-risk prospects, it would likely end the same way it always does in Arizona. Bain, with his own off-field question marks, has all the makings of the next chapter in that same cautionary tale.
ReplyDeleteCorrect, very similar to J. Carter in Philadelphia who only dropped to 9, Bain probably will still go between 10-12.
DeleteThis one is a bit tough because it's not 100% clear that Bain actually did something wrong here, but it is certainly quite plausible that he did. I would just point out that it is standard procedure in cases like this for police to initially charge the driver with reckless driving even when there's not strong evidence. When you rear-end another vehicle, that's almost always going to be the charge. That's why brake checking people in an attempt to commit insurance fraud is a thing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to balance holding players to a high standard off the field, with not treating every rumor or accusation as fact.
Having said all that, there are plenty of alternatives to Bain that would help the Cardinals as much or more, so there's really no reason to even consider risking it.
The fact that a passenger in Bain's car died and he got pulled over for another act of "careless driving" that was dismissed on a "technicality" is more than enough to have major concerns about his off the field decision making. Hard to imagine how any team could ignore these incidents and then hand the player in excess of $50M guaranteed. How then would be more irresponsible, the player? Or the team?
DeleteThe #3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is projected to sign a four-year rookie contract totaling approximately $50.5 million, with a first-year salary of around $9.18 million. These contracts are fully guaranteed, include a signing bonus, and are structured under a pre-determined rookie wage scale.
Spotrac.com
Spotrac.com
+2
#3 Pick Contract Details (Projected 2026)
Total Value: ~$50,537,014
Year 1 Earnings: ~$9,188,548
Contract Type: 4-year contract (fully guaranteed) with a 5th-year option.
Disappointing for sure. Guess I will be flipping my choice to be Styles or Bailey.
ReplyDeleteIf I personally made judgment on Bain I would be a hypocrite. I went to ASU, I went to all the clubs and sometimes drove when I shouldn't have drove. I was lucky that I never had an accident but I never drove a top-heavy Land Rover either and barley could scrape up 5 bucks for dollar beer night. If I would have had Bains identical set of circumstances, things might have been different for me.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point.
DeleteI can certainly think of a time or two when I was younger where things could have gone badly for me but I must have had an angel on my shoulder.
These student athletes are probably in many more of these situations by simply being able to handle the financial burden usually associated with putting yourself into those situations to start with.