Few stories in sports have sparked as much debate as the fall of former Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs. In 2021, he was involved in a tragic crash that killed a woman and her dog. The incident abruptly ended his football career and changed lives forever. Now, former Pro Bowler T.J. Houshmandzadeh is urging the public to consider redemption over permanent condemnation for Ruggs.

“I hope he’s given a second chance, which I believe he will be,” said Houshmandzadeh on the Speakeasy podcast. “We gotta always remember that a woman lost her life, and he just made a bad decision. And you gotta pay for these bad decisions when you do these types of things.”

The incident shocked the league in 2021. Driving his Chevrolet Corvette at a speed reaching 156 mph, an intoxicated Ruggs slammed into the back of Tina Tintor’s Toyota RAV4 in Las Vegas at roughly 3:40 a.m. The impact caused Tintor’s car to burst into flames, killing her and her dog.

Testing revealed Ruggs’ blood-alcohol level stood at 0.161%, twice Nevada’s legal limit. When the Las Vegas Raiders heard about the incident, they released Ruggs from the team on the same day. However, the wide receiver avoided trial by entering a plea deal and pleaded guilty to one felony count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

As a result, a Nevada state judge sentenced Ruggs to a three-to-10-year prison sentence. Most recently, the former Raiders WR was denied parole. While the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners acknowledged his extensive efforts toward rehabilitation, they ultimately determined that early release was not warranted at this time.

While Houshmandzadeh believes Ruggs should be given a chance, but he also understands the potential reasoning behind the parole denial.

“I’m sure he was very hopeful [about parole],” Houshmandzadeh continued. “But if I’m her family, I’m like, ‘Really? Three years? You’re gonna let him out in three years?’ And so, for both sides of it, there’s no right answer.”

The board cited victim impact as a prime reason for the parole denial, and the community. The board didn’t want to encourage a three-year imprisonment for a case of driving under the influence of intoxicating substances. Along with that, Ruggs reportedly had two disciplinary conduct offenses during his incarceration and failed to maintain a clean record.

Meanwhile, the former NFL player also issued a public apology to the victim, Tina Tintor, and her family.

“I wish I could turn back the hands of time,” said Ruggs. “I would love them to meet the real Henry Ruggs and not the one that was escaping from something. You know, I sincerely apologize for not only being a part of that situation but the fact that my face is always in the news, my face is always in the newspaper. So, they have to constantly be reminded of the situation, be reminded of me, and see those memories have to continue to rise.”

Now, as things stand, Ruggs will remain incarcerated at the medium-security Northern Nevada Correctional Center. However, he is scheduled to become eligible for parole again on August 24, 2027, his mandatory parole release date, and will be permitted to reappear before the board three months prior, in May 2027.

A look into Henry Ruggs’ NFL career

Henry Ruggs’ NFL career was relatively short. He joined the leading American football league in 2020 after spending three years of his collegiate career representing Alabama. Ruggs also won the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship with them in his sophomore year. Naturally, heading into the 2020 NFL draft, there was a lot of hype around him.

The Las Vegas Raiders bought into the buzz and selected Ruggs as the No. 12 overall pick in the first round. With that, he also became the franchise’s first-ever draft pick after relocating to Las Vegas. However, Ruggs’ rookie season was inconsistent, hampered by time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Ruggs finished that season with 26 receptions for 452 yards and 2 touchdowns across 13 games. Then came the most controversial year of his career. Through seven games in 2021, Ruggs had recorded 24 receptions for 469 yards and 2 touchdowns. With that, he was in the middle of a breakout season where he matched the previous year’s stats in nearly half the amount of games played. But that fatal crash ended his season and career.

Due to the fatal car incident, Ruggs’ NFL career ended when he was 22. While the possibility of him returning to the league appears slim, Ruggs does have the interest to come back and play again.