Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison in Las Vegas on Wednesday after he agreed to plead guilty to a pair of charges following a 2021 drunken driving crash that killed a woman and her dog.
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 Tina Tintor in her Toyota RAV4 on the morning of November 2, 2021.
The Las Vegas Raiders parted days with him the day after the crash. “I sincerely apologize,” Ruggs said during the hearing on Wednesday. “I have no excuse.” The former NFL star had been under house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices since pleading guilty in May.
Judge Jennifer Schwartz said on Wednesday that the case was “one of the more tragic” ones that she has seen.
Ruggs was the Raiders’ first draft pick after they arrived in Las Vegas. The 24-year-old was taken 12th overall in 2020 and played 20 games for the franchise.
Ruggs could be eligible for parole after three years, ESPN reported.