Eagles WR DeVonta Smith was excused from practice to attend Henry Ruggs' sentencing
The Philadelphia Eagles gave wide receiver DeVonta Smith an excused absence for Wednesday’s practice so that he could attend the sentencing for fellow former Alabama star Henry Ruggs.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith flew from Philadelphia to Las Vegas to support Ruggs who ended up receiving a sentence of 3-to-10 years for the DUI crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog in 2021.
Smith and Ruggs played together at Alabama under Nick Saban from 2017 to 2019. After 2019, Ruggs declared for the NFL Draft while Smith stayed for one more season and won the Heisman for the 2020 season.
The Eagles receiver has said little of the crash that forever changed his former teammates’ life and ended Tintor’s, but after the incident, he mentioned the help and support he received from fellow Philadelphia players.
“My heart breaks for everybody involved, the family of the young lady that lost her life,” Smith said in 2021. “It was rough at the beginning of the week. But just coming in every day, being with the guys, they helped me out a lot. It was tough, but eventually, the guys helped me get through it. Everybody lifted me up. The whole team.”
On top of receiving PTSD treatment, Ruggs said he’s spent the past 21 months searching to “find answers to explain my selfish behavior on that day.”
“I have no excuse and pray that accepting responsibility and my guilty plea can allow me to begin the healing process and to allow everyone involved to heal also,” he said, per ABC7.
Tina Tintor’s family reads statement at Ruggs’ sentencing
Tintor’s cousin, Daniel Strbac, read a statement from Tintor’s mother at the sentencing. The statement noted that though the family will never get over the loss of their daughter and loved one, they hope that Ruggs will be able to see his own young daughter grow up. Ruggs’ daughter was born in June of 2020 and is now three years old.
“We pray that this terrible accident inspires positive change in the world,” Strbac said.
Ruggs’ plea deal with local prosecutors reduced several of the charges he was facing. He pled guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
He had a charge for DUI causing substantial harm and two counts of reckless driving dropped as part of the deal.
Ruggs was originally accused of driving 156 miles per hour through a suburban area, miles away from the Las Vegas strip. His speedometer read 127 mph when airbags deployed. In addition, Ruggs’ blood alcohol level read .161, more than twice the legal limit.
If he’d gone to trial on all charges, Ruggs could’ve faced up to 50 years of prison.