In the early hours of November 2nd, former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs was involved in a car accident that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor. Ruggs was charged with DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. What he did hours before was like putting jet fuel on a fire, making the incident bound to happen. Ruggs and his girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-Washington, were drinking at Topgolf before leaving after midnight in his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Police say he was driving 156 miles per hour around 3:39 a.m. before slamming on his breaks to around 120 mph before hitting Tintor in her Toyota RAV4, which was engulfed in flames due to the impact. Tintor and her dog survived the initial impact but died due to the fire. Ruggs and Kilgo-Washington were transported to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada with non-life-threatening injuries. Ruggs had a BAC of 0.161%, which is more than twice the legal limit. He was then booked at Clark County Detention Center with his bail set at $150,000.
Former teammate Derek Carr said Ruggs needs to be loved and that “if no one else will do it, I’ll do it,” in a press interview regarding the accident. University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who coached Ruggs at Alabama, said, “We’re going to support him through it, but we also have a lot of compassion for the victims, and our thoughts and prayers are also with them.”
Ruggs was Born in Montgomery, Alabama, where he attended Robert E. Lee High School. However, he didn’t start playing football until his junior year. He received his first scholarship offer after his second game. Ruggs also played basketball and ran track. With more than 20 offers to play football, Ruggs chose to attend the University of Alabama.
As a true freshman in 2017, Ruggs had 12 receptions for 229 yards and six touchdowns. That same year, Ruggs and the Crimson Tide won the CFP national championship. Ruggs decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Ruggs ran a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, taking the spot as the fastest time for that year. He was the first wide receiver to be drafted, being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the 12th overall pick. He joined former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs in Vegas. Ruggs signed a fully guaranteed contract with the Raiders for four years’ worth $16.67 million along with a fifth-year option.
After the accident, Ruggs was released from the Raiders. This is coming from a team that has had multiple issues throughout the year. The team most recently released Damon Arnette after a video was leaked of him online holding a gun and making death threats. The raiders have also had issues regarding coaching staff. Jon Gruden resigned as the head coach after emails from him were discovered containing racist, misogynistic, and homophobic slurs. Overall, it isn’t looking so good for Henry Ruggs and the Raiders.
