Former NFL Wide Receiver to Spend 3-10 Years in Prison

By Brian Jones

A former NFL wide receiver is set to serve multiple years in prison. Per ESPN, Henry Ruggs III waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday and will plead guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in a 2021 case in which he's accused of killing a woman in a car accident. The plea agreement states that Ruggs will serve three to 10 years in a Nevada State prison. The case has been moved to the 8th Judicial District Court for a hearing on May 10 where Ruggs will plead guilty. 

"This is the first step toward a fair resolution to this matter and we look forward to closure for all the parties involved," David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, attorneys for Ruggs, said in a statement released on Tuesday. According to police, Ruggs, 24 was drunk when he reached speeds of 156 mph in Las Vegas in November 2021. His Corvette Stingray hit Tina Tintor's Toyota Rav4, propelling it 571 feet and setting it on fire. Tintor, who was 23 years old, and her dog burned to death. 

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Police said Ruggs refused to take a sobriety test. His blood was drawn two hours after the accident, and it revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.161, more than twice over the legal limit in Nevada. Ruggs was released on $150,000 bond one day after the crash and spent the past and a half on house arrest. At the time, Ruggs was playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, and the team released him following the accident. Ruggs' girlfriend, Je'nai Kilgo-Washington was also injured in the crash and underwent surgery for an arm injury. 

Ruggs was selected by the Raiders at No. 12 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Ruggs caught 26 passes for 452 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. In 2021, Ruggs caught 24 passes for 469 yards and two touchdowns in seven games before the arrest. Ruggs played college football at Alabama from 2017-2019 and caught 98 passes for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns in 40 games. He helped the team win the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. 

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