Convicted ex-NFL star moved to transitional housing

NFLFILE - Former Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs appears in court May 10, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)AP Photo/John LocherConvicted former NFL receiver Henry Ruggs was transferred earlier this month to a minimum-custody transitional housing facility in Reno.KTNV reported Thursday the former Raiders and University of Alabama wide receiver was deemed a community trustee, meaning he’s considered a lower risk for breaking rules or potential escape.According to the report, Ruggs was transferred to a Northern Nevada Transitional Housing, which also allows for a more laxed work release program. He was previously being held at Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City.In May, the former Crimson Tide star appealed to the Nevada Board of Parole to grant him “the privilege of parole so I can prove myself to everyone.”Ruggs was sentenced to from 36 to 120 months in prison on Aug. 9, 2023, for his role in the death of Tina Tintor in a wreck on Nov. 2, 2021, in Las Vegas.Ruggs made his first appearance before the Nevada Board of Parole in May via a Zoom call from Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City.“Not a minute goes by where I don’t think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community,” Ruggs told the board in video obtained by KTNV-TV. “I’m a religious person and pray for her family daily.”Ruggs’ earliest parole date is Aug. 5. KTNV-TV reported the Nevada Board of Parole plans to have a decision on Ruggs’ case by June 14.The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Nevada Board of Parole Commissioner Sandy Schmitt said guidelines recommended Ruggs be paroled at his first or second opportunity.In May 2023, Ruggs pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after reaching a plea arrangement with the Clark County (Nevada) District Attorney’s Office.In August 2023, Judge Jennifer Schwartz of the 8th Judicial Court chose to follow the plea agreement and sentenced Ruggs to from 36 to 120 months in prison for the first count and six months in prison for the second count.The State of Nevada contended Ruggs was at fault in a deadly accident that occurred in Las Vegas at 3:39 a.m. Nov. 2, 2021. That’s when a Corvette driven by Ruggs struck a Toyota RAV4 driven by Tintor, a 23-year-old Las Vegas resident. Tintor and her dog died in the wreck.Originally, Ruggs had been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm and possession of a gun under the influence of alcohol or drugs.Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson had said Ruggs could have been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison if convicted of all the original charges at a trial. But Wolfson later accepted a plea arrangement because of concerns the central piece of evidence in the case – the blood-test results -- might be suppressed.The Las Vegas police department reported tests on Ruggs at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada within two hours of the accident showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.161 percent. The legal limit in Nevada is 0.08 percent.Law-enforcement authorities said Ruggs’ Corvette was traveling at 156 mph 2.5 seconds before impact and 127 mph at the time of the collision.Mark Heim is a senior writer who provides sports, news and trending content. He co-hosts a daily sports radio show on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile. Heim has been recognized with awards for his writing, headlines and...