Seth Udinski, FISM News
In a tragic development in sports, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was driving at a reckless speed under the influence of alcohol early Tuesday morning when he crashed his car, killing a 23-year-old woman and injuring himself and a passenger.
Reports indicate that Ruggs was driving at 156 mph only seconds before he rammed into the victim’s Toyota. He was driving at 127 mph upon impact, and further reports say that Riggs had a blood alcohol content of 0.161 at the time of the incident, more than twice the legal amount for driving in Nevada.
On Tuesday, Ruggs was arrested on charges of reckless driving and a DUI causing a death. He was released on $150,000 bond following the hearing. If convicted, he faces up to 46 years in prison. He is due in court again on Nov. 10th.
The Las Vegas Raiders cut the wide receiver from their roster upon news of the incident. The team released a statement on Tuesday night saying in part,
The Raiders are aware of an accident involving Henry Ruggs III that occurred this morning in Las Vegas. 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.
Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who only weeks ago replaced Jon Gruden in the wake of a leaked-email scandal, addressed the media on Wednesday. He said,
We want to express our sincere condolences to the victim’s family. A person lost their life yesterday morning, and we think it’s important to keep focus on that as we talk about this tragic event. We’re deeply saddened for everyone affected, especially the victim’s family. That being said, we love Henry Ruggs. We want him to know that. It was a terrible lapse in judgement, of the most horrific kind, and something that he’ll have to live with the rest of his life. The gravity of the situation is not lost on anyone here, and we understand and respect the loss of life.”
"We’re deeply saddened for everyone affected, especially the victim’s family." pic.twitter.com/PeqamwIskD
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 4, 2021