Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III fired after fatal car crash
Las Vegas, Nevada - Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III has been charged with driving under the influence resulting in the death of another person after a fatal traffic collision in the early hours of Tuesday.
The second-year wide receiver is currently in serious legal trouble as the last 24 hours have been quite troubling for the now-former Raider.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that officers responded to an incident at approximately 3:39 am involving a Toyota and a Chevrolet Corvette.
A deceased woman was found inside the Toyota by local fire department personnel, with Ruggs identified as the driver of the Corvette.
Ruggs and a female passenger were injured as a result of the crash.
The 22-year-old Ruggs remained on the scene and police say he was showing signs of "impairment". He was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Ruggs could be facing a long sentence
A statement released by the Raiders on Tuesday afternoon said: "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," they added.
Just before midnight, they cut Ruggs from the team, according to a tweet posted on the team's Twitter account.
Ruggs' attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld stated: "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."
With legal ramifications of the crash, Ruggs faces anywhere between two and 20 years in prison for the DUI charge and an additional one to six years for reckless driving, if convicted.
The Raiders signed Ruggs as the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Cover photo: imago/Icon SMI