Henry Ruggs Awaits Parole Decision With Aug. 5 Release Possible
henry ruggs is awaiting a parole decision within the next week, and the ruling could put him on track for release from prison in August. He is serving a three-to-10-year sentence tied to the fatal November 2021 crash that killed Tina Tintor and her dog.
Ruggs and the August date
The earliest Ruggs can be paroled is Aug. 5. The Nevada Board of Parole is expected to make its decision by June 14, leaving a narrow window between the ruling and a possible release date.
Ruggs, 27, was sentenced in August 2023 after pleading guilty in May 2023 to one count of DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter. He became eligible for parole after three years, and he has now reached that mark.
Tintor crash details
The case stems from a November 2021 crash in which Ruggs was driving as fast as 156 mph with a blood-alcohol level of 0.161, more than twice the legal limit. His Corvette hit a car carrying Tintor, who was 23, and her dog.
At a parole hearing last month, Ruggs said he thinks about Tintor’s death every day. He also asked the board to give him "the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone."
What Ruggs told the board
Ruggs added, "I’m a religious person and pray for her family daily." That statement and the earlier guilty plea are now part of the board’s review as it weighs whether to let him out after three years in prison.
Tintor’s family did not speak publicly during or after the hearing, though they had the opportunity to address the board privately. At Ruggs’ sentencing in August 2023, Tintor’s mother, Mirjana Komazec, had her statement read by her cousin, Daniel Strbac.
Komazec said, "Every parent’s worst nightmare is to create a beautiful child just to have them taken away at the hands of another’s negligence." She also said, "There are very few words to explain the feelings of losing a child" and "It is a pain we feel every day."
Ruggs remains a free agent, and the parole decision carries obvious football implications. He was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 2020, caught 24 passes for 469 yards and two touchdowns in seven games in 2021, and was released hours after he was charged in Tintor’s death. Last year, he told a Hope For Prisoners group gathering in Las Vegas that he wanted to return to the NFL when released from prison.
Josh Jacobs said last year that Ruggs was training in prison, that he had talked to other NFL teams on Ruggs’ behalf, and that "a couple teams" seemed "willing to give him a chance."
