Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison on Wednesday in Las Vegas after pleading guilty to a pair of counts stemming from a drunken driving collision in 2021 that killed a lady and her dog.
Ruggs agreed to plead guilty to DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter, thus additional charges against him were dropped, according to KVVU.
Ruggs was driving as fast as 156 MPH and had a blood alcohol level double the legal limit when his Chevrolet Corvette struck and killed Tina Tintor in her Toyota RAV4 on November 2, 2021, according to authorities.
The day following the collision, he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders. “I sincerely apologize,” Ruggs said during Wednesday’s hearing. “I have no valid excuse.” Since pleading guilty in May, the former NFL star has been on house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices.
On Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Schwartz stated that the case was “one of the more tragic” she had encountered.
Ruggs was the Raiders’ first pick when they relocated to Las Vegas. The 24-year-old was drafted 12th overall in 2020 and appeared in 20 games for the team.
According to ESPN, Ruggs could be eligible for parole after three years.