ESPN tells tragic story of Montgomery’s Rod Scott, Henry Ruggs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - If you watch ESPN’s College Game Day, you know there’s that certain point in the show where you stop everything and just sit down.

Reporter Tom Rinaldi is one of the best writers and storytellers in the business. Sometimes he has some fun pieces, other times you must break out your biggest box of tissues to wipe away tears.

Saturday was no different.

Anchor and Reporter Judd Davis had a chance to talk with Rinaldi Friday morning about a variety of things, including his emotional story involving former Lee High School star Henry Ruggs. In the story, Rinaldi talks to Ruggs about the tragic loss of his best friend Rod Scott.

During Rinaldi’s interview, Ruggs talks about that day and how he was supposed to drive Scott but ended up not doing so after becoming ill.

Scott, 17, was a senior guard on the Lee Generals basketball team when he died in 2016 from injuries he sustained in a car crash. He and several others were among those injured while traveling to Birmingham to watch Jeff Davis High School’s girls play in the AHSAA 2016 State Finals game.

Scott’s death led to discussions about seat belt laws across the state. In 2019, the state legislature passed a law requiring that all passengers wear a seat belt while riding inside a vehicle.

Rinaldi’s story featuring Ruggs aired Saturday during ESPN’s game day coverage ahead of the Alabama v. LSU football game.

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