Raiders' Henry Ruggs to face DUI resulting in death charge

The young wide receiver is no stranger to car accident related tragedy, only this time he's the one responsible.

Raiders' Henry Ruggs to be charged with DUI resulting in death

The Las Vegas Raiders are now facing a tragic situation as wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is set to face a DUI charge after his car collided with another on Tuesday morning in Las Vegas leaving a woman dead. Ruggs himself and his female passenger were also injured. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department indicated that Ruggs was driving a Chevrolet Corvette around 3:40 a.m. when he rear ended a Toyota Rav4 in a residential area to the west of the Las Vegas Strip. The deceased driver was not identified at the time. Police also indicated that Ruggs "showed signs of impairment," as such he is expected to be charged with a felony DUI resulting in death.

Ruggs and his unidentified passenger were hospitalized, however, their injuries were described as 'non life threatening' by authorities. Ruggs is now facing a very serious situation in that probation is not permitted in Nevada for a conviction on a charge of DUI causing death. The sentence attached to the offense carries a minimum of two years with a maximum of 20 years in state prison.

The Raiders and the NFL give comment

In the wake of the tragedy Ruggs' team gave an official statement, "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."

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy also spoke on the accident saying, "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim of this horrific tragedy. We will continue to gather facts and monitor the matter under our policies, but our thoughts at this time are with those impacted by this devastating incident." The Raiders who are 5-2 at the moment had to report to headquarters on Monday after a bye week. They were then given an off day on Tuesday with training set for Wednesday ahead of their next game on Sunday against the New York Giants.

The irony in Ruggs' accident

Sadly this is not the only time Ruggs has come to face with tragedy involving a car accident. In 2016 the Raiders' WR lost his childhood friend, Rod Scott - a fellow Alabama alumni and basketball player - in a car accident. In fact Ruggs often pays tribute to him by putting up three fingers - Scott wore No. 3 when playing for Alabama's basketball team.

Without doubt the tragedy is two fold as two lives have been lost, one literally and one metaphorically. Ruggs was the Raiders' first-round draft pick in 2020 and was No. 12 overall. Raiders owner Mark Davis said at the time, "He was the only person I wanted in this draft."