The promising career of Las Vegas Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III has taken a tragic detour.
From NFL:
Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III has been arrested and booked on a charge of DUI resulting in the death of another person following his involvement in a traffic collision at approximately 3:39 a.m. PT on Tuesday in Las Vegas, according to police.
Late Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Raiders announced they had released Ruggs.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced Tuesday that officers responded to a traffic collision involving a Chevrolet Corvette and a Toyota Rav4. Responding officers located the Toyota Rav4 on fire, and fire department personnel located “a deceased victim inside the Toyota,” according to authorities.
At the scene of the accident, Ruggs was identified as the driver of the Corvette, and according to the LVMPD, he “showed signs of impairment.” In addition to a charge of DUI resulting in the death of another person, the 22-year-old has also been charged with reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm.
Per FOX5 Vegas, if the Alabama standout is convicted on a charge of DUI resulting in death, he’s ineligible for probation in Nevada and faces two to 20 years in prison. Additionally, the charge for reckless driving carries a sentence of one to six years.
“On behalf of our client Henry Ruggs III we are conducting our own investigation as of this writing and ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered,” Ruggs’ attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement on Tuesday.
As the unfortunate news began to circulate, the NFL released a statement of its own:
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim of this horrific tragedy. We will continue to gather facts and monitor the matter under our policies, but our thoughts at this time are with those impacted by this devastating incident.”
Prior to Ruggs’ release, the Raiders expressed concern for the situation as well.
“The Raiders are aware of an accident involving Henry Ruggs III that occurred this morning in Las Vegas,” the team said in a statement. “We are devastated by the loss of life and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family. We are in the process of gathering information and will have no further comment at this time.”
Ruggs was the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and after a rocky rookie campaign with the Raiders, he was leading the team with 469 receiving yards during his sophomore season.
He’s scheduled for an initial court appearance on Wednesday.