Former Raiders WR Henry Ruggs pleads guilty in fatal DUI case

Updated on May 10, 2023

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs formally plead guilty in a DUI case and accepted his plea agreement in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday morning. He will be sentenced to between three and 10 years in a Nevada state prison Aug. 9.

Previously:

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs is expected to serve three to 10 years in Nevada State prison after he unconditionally waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. He will plead guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter stemming from a November 2021 Las Vegas car crash in which a 23-year-old woman and her dog were killed, ESPN reported.

Ruggs, 24, has his next court date in Las Vegas on May 10, when he is formally expected to plead guilty. As part of his plea agreement, the charges against Ruggs of one count of DUI causing substantial harm (regarding his passenger) and two counts of reckless driving were dropped. The three to 10-year term has been agreed to by his lawyers but still needs to be approved by a judge, ProFootballTalk reported for NBC Sports.

Police stated that Ruggs was driving drunk and driving at 156 m.p.h. on a Las Vegas city street in the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, when he crashed into the car of Tina Tintor, causing it to burst into flames. Tintor, 23, and her dog, Max, were were killed.

According to reports at the time, Ruggs refused to take a field sobriety test, and a blood draw about two hours after the crash revealed his blood-alcohol level was 0.161 — over twice the legal limit in Nevada.

The Raiders released Ruggs later that day. The Alabama product was in his second season and was a starting wide receiver at the time of his arrest. He was the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2020.