Jared Schwass is a practicing attorney with years of experience in the field. He’s bringing his expertise to PlayerProfiler covering the latest news and notes surrounding NFL players legal dealings. This series will give the fantasy gamer an insider’s perspective into how an NFL player’s legal battle will affect their value in fantasy football. In this article, he discusses the latest news surrounding Henry Ruggs III.
Henry Ruggs III Likely Done with the NFL
On May 10, 2023, Henry Ruggs III plead guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death. Additionally, he plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. The charges carry a sentence of 3 to 10 years in a Nevada state prison. Ruggs’s sentencing is set for Aug. 9. He remains under house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices until then.
The charges, and subsequent plea deal, stem from a November 2, 2021 incident. On November 2 of 2021, according to police, Ruggs drove a Corvette Stingray 156 mph while intoxicated and crashed into a Toyota Rav4 being driven by Tina Tintor. The collision propelled the Rav4 571 feet. The coroner later ruled that Tintor and her dog Max died from thermal injuries.
At the time of the accident, Ruggs refused any sobriety tests. The police drew blood from Ruggs two hours after the accident. The blood draw showed Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was 0.161. This was double the legal limit in Nevada.
Since the incident, Ruggs was released on a $150,000 bond. Additionally, Ruggs is on house arrest with alcohol and location electronic monitoring devices.
Plea Deal Details
In addition to the counts listed above, Ruggs was charged with one count of DUI causing substantial harm to his passenger. Ruggs was also charged with two counts of reckless driving. Under the plea deal, those additional charges will be dropped.
Ruggs’s attorney sought to suppress the blood draw as evidence. He argued there was insufficient probable cause for the test. If the judge suppressed the blood draw, there likely would have been insufficient evidence to convict Ruggs of the charges. Rather than take the chance of the judge suppressing such evidence, the prosecutor entered into a plea deal with Ruggs.
Ruggs played with blazing speed but ultimately failed to live up to the big-play potential when he stepped on the field. The Raiders drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft hoping to bolster their offense with his game-breaking abilities. While Ruggs showed flashes of brilliance during his rookie season, his overall production didn’t match the lofty expectations many had for him in fantasy football. Ruggs will likely never see an NFL football field again after pleading guilty to DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
