Rueben Bain Jr., one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class, has faced scrutiny throughout the process due to his short arms. However, the former Miami Hurricanes star apparently has something more serious to worry about.
In 2024, Bain Jr. was reportedly involved in a car accident that proved to be fatal for one of the victims involved. Bain was reportedly cited for careless driving in Miami in 2024. A passenger in the crash, a 22-year-old student, was placed into a coma. They reportedly died three months later.
Ollie Connolly is now reporting that NFL teams have begun to be made aware of that incident. They are now investigating it.
Connolly shared details on the crash, via The Read Optional.
Bain, then a sophomore at the University of Miami, was driving on Interstate 95 in Miami at 4 am on 17 March 2024 when his vehicle struck another car before careering into concrete barriers on both sides of the highway, according to police crash records reviewed by The Read Optional.
One of four passengers in Bain's car, Destiny Betts, a 22-year-old college student from Georgia who was visiting Miami for spring break, suffered incapacitating injuries and was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center from the scene. She never regained consciousness. Betts died on 13 June 2024, after spending almost three months in a coma.
It's unclear how this will impact Bain's draft status
At this time, it's unclear if Bain, considered a top 10 NFL Draft prospect, will be impacted by this.
“It feels like it could be [Laremy Tunsil] all over again,” a league source told The Read Optional. “It doesn’t feel like [Bain] has been transparent with us.”
“We are concerned about multiple incidents,” another team executive said. “We are waiting for the other shoe.”
Tunsil, a former Ole Miss standout, dropped to No. 13 in the 2016 NFL Draft, after troubling footage of him leaked online.
The 2026 NFL Draft is two weeks away.
