Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs is going to prison for a fatal drunk driving crash. The question is: For how long?
Ruggs is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday, when a Las Vegas judge is expected to decide a sentence of between three and 10 years in prison.
Ruggs entered a guilty plea in May to a felony count of DUI resulting in death and a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter, acknowledging he was responsible for the death of Tina Tintor on Nov. 2, 2021. Ruggs’ attorneys and prosecutors agreed to a sentence, but a judge still has to approve it.
In court documents filed last week, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal, attorneys recommend that District Judge Jennifer Schwartz impose the agreed-upon sentence of up to a decade in prison with the possibility of parole after three years. Ruggs’ attorneys also revealed the former NFL player had received mental health treatment for a PTSD diagnosis six months after the fatal DUI crash.
Ruggs can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge does not abide by the sentencing agreement.
“Mr. Ruggs has [pleaded] guilty and has accepted responsibility for his conduct and there is nothing in Mr. Ruggs’ background that could have predicted this tragic event,” Ruggs’ attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, wrote in the court documents.
Attorneys also wrote that Ruggs has “made positive changes in his life, has accepted responsibility, and has sincere remorse.”
The Raiders released Ruggs, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft, after the crash.