It was always going to be a heart-rendering case of an up-and-coming baller going from hero to zero in a blink of an eye, with Henry Ruggs’ DUI accident, which led to the death of a woman.
Now, that accident has turned into a 3-10 jail sentence for former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III, who was sentenced earlier for the fatal DUI which killed Tina Tintor and her dog, Max.
Ruggs III was immediately released by the Raiders a day after his Corvette Stingray ploughed into Tintor’s RAC 4, at a terrifying 156 mph, in Las Vegas.
He pleaded guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
The former Alabama College player received a host of testimonial letters from past coaches, but Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Schwartz opted for the custodial sentence.
She is on record as saying this was one of the more tragic cases she has presided over.
Ruggs read from a prepared statement, “To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering.”
The wide receiver admitted he let down his family and teammates after testing more than twice the allowed alcohol level – two hours after the crash.
Ruggs will be eligible for parole after three years, after his attorneys requested the prescribed 3–10-year sentence.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving spokesperson Lindsey Valez provided support for the Tintor family and said, “Today is a very heavy day. I think it marks a point in the case where there is some resolve on the criminal side of the case. But unfortunately, that doesn’t really mean an end for the family or their healing process.”
Ruggs will trade in his ankle and alcohol monitoring bracelet for prison scrubs, but hopefully the incident will once again highlight the dangers of driving under the influence.
