Henry Ruggs III has started the process to seek parole as early as August 5, after pleading guilty in 2023 to driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter in a fatal crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog.
When Henry Ruggs III appeared before the Nevada Board of Parole via Zoom from Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, it marked the next step in a case that has never left the people touched by the crash.
The former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, 27, is now seeking release from prison as soon as this August. Ruggs was sentenced to three-to-ten years in August 2023 after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.
Ruggs could become eligible for parole on August 5. He has initiated the process to request that the Board of Parole grant him “the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone.” The board is reported to plan a decision on his parole by June 14.
The events at the center of the case happened when Ruggs was behind the wheel under the influence. He rear-ended an SUV that caught fire, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog as a result of the flames.
Ruggs has said he thinks about what happened every day. In a video obtained by News 3 LV, he said: “Not a minute goes by where I don’t think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community. I’m a religious person and pray for her family daily.”
Ruggs’ sentence followed a long legal process after the crash in the early hours. Police alleged he was driving at 156mph seconds before the accident, then slammed into Tintor’s car at 127mph. The speed limit in the area was 45mph. and authorities said Ruggs had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit when he crashed at around 3:30am. A coroner later revealed Tintor and her dog burned to death.
That night cut short the path of a standout college career. Ruggs was a standout for Alabama. recording 1. 716 yards and 24 touchdowns on just 98 receptions over three years in Tuscaloosa before declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. After impressing with the Crimson Tide, he was drafted by the Raiders in the first round.
His NFL career in Las Vegas lasted only one year. In November 2021, after the pre-dawn crash, Ruggs was cut by the Raiders as he recovered in a Las Vegas-area hospital. He and his fiancee were also injured in the collision.
Before the guilty plea, Ruggs faced the possibility of 50 years behind bars. Ultimately. he pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and his first season produced 921 receiving yards.
Ruggs is currently held at Northern Nevada Correctional Center, a medium-security prison in Carson City. He was relocated there last year after previously being held at Casa Grande Transitional Center.
As the parole process moves forward, the date August 5 hangs over a case defined by speed, alcohol, and irreversible loss—loss that Ruggs himself has described in terms of the pain he believes he caused to Tintor’s family, her friends, and the Las Vegas community.
Henry Ruggs III parole Nevada Board of Parole August 5 Northern Nevada Correctional Center Tina Tintor Las Vegas Raiders DUI vehicular manslaughter
Parole already?? That’s crazy.
So he pled guilty and now he wants out August 5. I mean he killed someone and a dog, speed limit was 45 and they say he was going like 127?? How is this even a real thing.
I don’t get how parole eligibility works like 5 years is enough when it was 156mph like they said. Also the article says it’s a “privilege” of parole to prove himself… prove what, that he won’t do it again? People keep saying “religious” like that should count for something.
This whole thing feels like the system is built for famous people. Like if he was just some random guy would he still be trying to get parole that soon? And why do they make it sound like he’s “thinking about it every day” like that undoes the crash. I saw some clip too where it was all “prayers” but prayers don’t bring Tina back. Smh.