On November 2nd, NFL player Henry Ruggs III was involved in a car accident that resulted
in one person being killed.
Originally from Montgomery Alabama, the Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver began to receive
multiple scholarship offers for his performance playing football in high school.
In fact, Ruggs had been such a standout multisport athlete in high school — also playing baseball
and running track — that he had a hard time committing to which sport he most wanted to
pursue.
Football, of course, ultimately won out.
Later, following three solid years at the University of Alabama, Ruggs chose to enter
the draft where he was picked up by the Raiders in the first round.
As a wide receiver, Ruggs showed both incredible promise and resilience even when suffering
through recent injuries, leading some of his peers to label him as the best player the
team had in that position.
His performance over the last two years was seen as showing immense potential as he was
poised to add more touchdowns to his stat sheet.
However, his recent car crash will likely put an end to that, as Ruggs now faces DUI
charges in the fatal incident and the Raiders have since released him from his contract,
per CBS Sports.
Before his arrest, Henry Ruggs showed tremendous promise as both an athlete and as a philanthropist.
He held a deep love for not only Alabama but also for his new home in Nevada.
In the hopes of uplifting locals in the latter state, he helped raise donations for Three
Square, Nevada's only food bank and a vital resource for many in the state.
In a past tweet, Ruggs announced that for every purchase of one of his shirts three
meals would be donated.
Back home, Ruggs also promoted and made contributions to the Roderic D. Scott Foundation, which
was created in memory of the late high school basketball player Rod Scott.
Per their website, the group is dedicated to guiding student-athletes through standardized
testing and raising money for scholarships.
In order to help raise awareness, he also chose to represent them in the NFL's "My Cause,
My Cleats" campaign.
Given the events of this week, there is a cruel irony to the situation that comes in
the form of Ruggs' friendship with Scott.
According to NBC, Scott had been traveling to visit a friend in 2016 when he was killed
in a car accident.
Ruggs originally planned to drive him but became sick and bedridden at the time.
Ruggs stated that the death affected him deeply, as Scott was a big motivating factor in his
life and that he had since refused to remain in bed even when ill.
In several of his NFL touchdowns since the accident, Ruggs was often seen paying respect
to his friend by raising three fingers.
Unfortunately, this did not seem to have been a factor in the decisions he made on Tuesday.
According to the police report, 22-year-old Ruggs was driving a Corvette at a high rate
of speed — reportedly as fast as 156 mph, per ESPN — when he rear-ended a Toyota around
3:40 a.m.
The Toyota burst into flames as both vehicles came to a stop.
Despite the apparent efforts of two bystanders and the arrival of EMS personnel, the Toyota's
driver, a 23-year-old woman identified as Tina Tintor who'd been trapped in her vehicle,
was found deceased along with her dog.
Ruggs' girlfriend, Kiara Kilgo-Washington, who was a passenger in the Corvette, was hospitalized
with serious injuries.
The two share a young daughter.
Ruggs was still on the scene and treated for minor injuries, but was found to be heavily
intoxicated.
According to the New York Post, Ruggs and Washington were seen partying on social media
in the hours leading up to the crash, reportedly drinking mai-tais.
Per Las Vegas Review-Journal, while bystanders attempted to help Tintor, Ruggs was seen with
his upper body partially lying in the street and his feet resting on the driver's side
floorboards of his car.
Though Ruggs declined to take a field sobriety test at the scene, a later blood draw at the
hospital registered a blood-alcohol level more than two times the legal limit for drivers
in Nevada.
Once he was medically cleared, Ruggs was subsequently arrested and was charged with both reckless
driving, as well as a DUI involving a fatality.
Per The Root, the DUI charge carries a sentence of two to 20 years and the reckless driving
charge carries a one- to three-year sentence.