NFL Star Gets 3 Years in Prison for DUI Crash That Killed Woman
Henry Ruggs is going to prison for the drinking and driving incident that killed a woman and her dog.
According to the United States Department of Transportation, every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 39 minutes. In 2021 Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs ended his career and the life of a woman when he got behind the wheel intoxicated. This week, the former football star was sentenced to three years behind bars for the crime.
In the accident, which occurred on November 2, 2021, Tina Tintor and her dog, Max were killed. Ruggs' fiancee and the mother of his daughter, Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington, were injured.
According to reports, he was speeding 156 mph on a Las Vegas city street in his 2020 Chevrolet Corvette, when he slammed into Tintor's Toyota Rav 4. A fire ignited, killing her.
Ruggs had a blood-alcohol level of 0.16% —twice the legal limit in Nevada. His attorney tried to claim that his blood-alcohol test was improperly obtained at the hospital.
He pled guilty in May to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, a charge carrying a six-month jail sentence that will be folded in with his 3-to-10-year prison term.
"I sincerely apologize," he said, awaiting the judge's sentence. "I have no excuses," he noted, citing the pain the accident has caused his family, teammates and Tintor's family. Ruggs said that after prison, he intends to counsel others "about the dangers of driving at unsafe speed and driving and drinking."
In a statement read by Tintor's cousin, her mother, Mirjana Komazec, seemed to offer forgiveness. "We pray that Henry Ruggs is blessed with the opportunity to be able watch his beautiful daughter grow into the amazing woman she can be," Komazec's statement said. "And we pray that this terrible accident inspires positive change in the world. We pray that we all take away the importance of looking out for one another, remembering everyone we meet is another human's loved one."
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"Mr. Ruggs is a man of good character who made a terrible mistake," the attorneys said in the presentencing memorandum. "His remorse is deep and sincere."
