The case of Henry Ruggs III and the tragedy that cost his NFL career

In August this year, former Laz Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for a deadly crash in Las Vegas in 2021.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May to one count of driving under the influence, which resulted in death, and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after a woman and her dog died in the crash.

According to abcnews.go.com, Judge Jennifer Schwartz said it was "one of the more tragic cases that I've seen."

The former NFL wide receiver addressed the court and the family of Tina Tintor, the woman who died in the crash of thermal injuries, saying he apologized for his actions.

"I have no excuse and pray that accepting responsibility and my guilty plea can allow me to begin the healing process and to allow everyone involved to heal also."

Authorities say Ruggs tore down Las Vegas's valley west of the strip at 156mph in his Corvette Stingray and rear-ended the car of Tina Tintor, leaving them fatally burnt to death.

Hours before the incident, Ruggs and his partner were spotted drinking at Top Golf on the Las Vegas strip, and Ruggs refused to take a sobriety test at the scene of the crash.

Following the crash, tests revealed that the former NFL star had an alcohol level of 0.161%, more than twice the legal limit in the state of Nevada.

After he was sentenced in August, Ruggs was taken to serve his sentence in the High Desert State Prison in Nevada and assigned the inmate number 1273265.

The incident has all but ended his promising NFL career before it even properly started after being picked 12^th in round one of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Ruggs rose to prominence as a college player for the University of Alabama, winning the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.

His total of 24 receiving touchdowns places him third all-time on Alabama's leaderboard. His success with 'The Tide' meant he skipped his senior year and entered the draft.

At the NFL Draft combine, Ruggs showed his excellence as a wide receiver, running the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds, the year's fastest time by any prospect by 0.8 seconds.

In his rookie year for the Las Vegas Raiders, Ruggs finished the 2020 season with 26 receptions, 452 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in 13 games.

Ruggs played seven games for the Raiders in the 2021 season before the tragic accident, nearly bettering his stats in half the games, taking two touchdowns, 469 receiving yards, and 24 receptions.

Henry Ruggs III had his whole career ahead of him, but a drunken mistake that sadly cost the lives of Tina Tintor and her dog means he is unlikely to play football again.