Miami’s Rueben Bain Cited in Fatal Crash Ahead of NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL draft is a little over a week away, but in the days heading up to the promise of an NFL career, former Miami Hurricanes defensive end and current draft prospect Rueben Bain Jr. is in a bit of hot water for his involvement in a 2024 automobile accident that eventually had a passenger die from the injuries sustained in the crash. Documents obtained by the The Read Optional tell the story of a crash in which Bain was driving with three passengers that included fellow Hurricanes Wesley Bissainthe and Nyjalik Kelly and 22-year-old Destiny Betts. Bain’s Land Rover rear ended another vehicle, causing it to strike two barriers. Betts was transported to a trauma center and eventually passed from her injuries three months later, never coming out of a coma. There were no sobriety tests done per the crash report.

Bain was cited for careless driving, charges that were later dropped ahead of Betts’ death on June 13, 2024. Importantly, Betts’ family refers to the incident as a “tragic accident” and released a statement wishing Bain well in his career and in life. It remains to be seen whether this will affect his draft stock, as Bain was a sophomore at the time of the accident. He is ranked No. 15 on Mel Kiper’s Big Board and is coming off a career season. Bain recorded 9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and five QB hurries while leading the country in QB pressures as Miami made it all the way to the College Football Playoff championship game, where they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers.

Here is the full story from Miami Roundtable writer Anthony Aguirre on the shocking report and how it stands to affect Bain’s draft stock, if at all.

There are no charges pending, but the timing is suboptimal to say the least just 10 days ahead of the draft. Notably, many NFL insiders have indicated that teams have been well aware of this situation, and that there are no indications that this should greatly affect Bain’s draft stock.