Convicted former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III rendered a public apology to the family of Tina Tintor, the woman he killed in a fiery drunk driving crash in 2021.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Ruggs, 26, was in August 2023 sentenced to 3-10 years in prison in Las Vegas after he agreed to plead guilty to a pair of charges following the crash that also killed the deceased victim’s dog.
According to ESPN, Ruggs partook in a Hope for Prisoners event on Tuesday after he was allowed a special release from prison. He rendered the apology to Tintor’s family during the event, FOX 11 reported.
“I wish I could turn back the hands of time. I would love for them to meet the real human Ruggs and not the one that was escaping from something,” Ruggs said in a video shared on X by Vegas Nation reporter Vincent Bonsignore.
“I sincerely apologize for not only for being a part of that situation, but …the fact that my face is always in the news. My face is always in the newspaper, so they have to constantly be reminded of the situation, be reminded of me and see those memories because of all of the notoriety that I have, which I never even asked for, never liked.”
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In the wake of the deadly crash, Ruggs agreed to plead guilty to charges of DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter, hence additional charges against him were dismissed, KVVU reported.
The police said that Ruggs was driving as fast as 156 MPH and had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when his Chevrolet Corvette struck and killed Tintor in her Toyota RAV4 on the morning of November 2, 2021.
The Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with him the day after the crash. The former NFL star had been under house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices after he entered the guilty plea in May 2023.
Ruggs was the Raiders’ first draft pick after they arrived in Las Vegas. The 26-year-old was taken 12th overall in 2020 and played 20 games for the franchise. In May this year, Josh Jacobs, who is Ruggs’ former teammate, said they communicate regularly, adding that the 26-year-old is eyeing an NFL comeback as he’s training behind bars, FOX 11 reported.
Former @Raiders WR Henry Ruggs on what he’d say to the family of Tina Tintor. pic.twitter.com/Whc8KogBNp
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) June 18, 2025
