Nevada Parole Board Denies Ruggs Release, Leaving Ex-Raiders Receiver Locked In Until 2027
The Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners denied Henry Ruggs III's bid for early release, ruling that testimony from supporters attesting to his personal growth and remorse was insufficient grounds to grant parole. Ruggs, the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, is now expected to remain incarcerated until a mandatory parole release date set for Aug. 24, 2027, according to Kathi Baker, executive director of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.
The case stems from the early hours of Nov. 2, 2021, when Ruggs drove his sports car at speeds of up to 156 mph and struck a vehicle operated by Tina Tintor, 23, in Las Vegas. Tintor and her dog were killed when her car burst into flames on impact. Prosecutors established that Ruggs had a blood alcohol level of 0.16 - twice Nevada's legal limit - recorded within the required two-hour window following the crash. He had spent that evening at a Las Vegas sports entertainment venue before the collision occurred. Ruggs pleaded guilty in May 2023 to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, and was sentenced in August 2023 to three to ten years in prison.
Ruggs was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The prison sentence brought an abrupt end to his professional football career at the age of 22. During his incarceration, he completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Alabama, participated in prison work and trustee programs, and served a period at the Nevada governor's mansion through a state inmate work program.
Under Nevada law, Ruggs will appear before the parole board again approximately three months before his mandatory release date in August 2027. If released at that point, he would be 28 years old - an age at which a return to professional football would remain physically plausible, though no formal NFL interest has been reported.
