Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III officially pleaded guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in Nevada’s Clark County on Wednesday, according to ESPN, following the 2021 car crash that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog.
The 24-year-old is expected to receive his official sentence on Aug. 9. He will serve anywhere from three to 10 years in a Nevada state prison. Until Aug. 9, Ruggs is under house arrest, and he will have alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices, which is in line with the same restrictions he’s been under since he was released on a $150,000 bail on the day after the crash in November 2021.
Ruggs and his attorneys did not release a statement Wednesday.
Some members of Tintor’s family, including her mother and brother, were present in the courtroom Wednesday. Following the plea, Tintor’s family released a statement through their attorneys at Naqvi Injury Law.
“Today, like every day, we remember Tina and Max, and how they were taken from us that fateful night,” the statement read. “No sentence will ever bring Tina and Max back, but we hope that everyone learns from this preventable incident so that no other families suffer like we do. We appreciate the efforts of the district attorney’s office to overcome the issues caused by the initial investigation, and we look forward to putting this behind us so that we can focus on honoring the memories of Tina and Max.”
The crash occurred Nov. 2, 2021, at 3:39 a.m., as Ruggs, who reached speeds of 156 mph, merged his Chevy Corvette into the right-most lane from the center lane on a three-lane road. Ruggs hit the back of Tintor’s vehicle, a Toyota RAV4, which caught on fire. Tintor was trapped, and firefighters were unable to rescue her.
Ruggs was released from the Raiders less than 24 hours after the crash happened.
After Ruggs initially refused a field sobriety test, police later discovered that his blood-alcohol level after the crash was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit in Nevada.
Tony Rodriguez was nearby the crash when it happened, and he detailed his experience of trying to save Tintor’s life that morning to Sports Illustrated contributor Jeff Pearlman in March 2022.
