Las Vegas Raiders released a wide receiver Henry Ruggs III Tuesday evening after being involved in a car crash early Tuesday morning left a dead woman behind.
Court records show that Roggs faces criminal charges of drunk driving resulting in death and reckless driving. He was released from hospital and jailed earlier on Tuesday before his scheduled court appearance on Wednesday.
Ruggs, 22, and his passenger were taken to hospital with unspecified injuries that police said did not appear to be life-threatening after a Chevrolet Corvette he was driving at high speed crashed into the back of a Toyota RAV4 on a busy road in a residential area several miles west. from the Las Vegas Strip around 3:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
Police said a Toyota vehicle caught fire, and the driver and her dog died.
Police said in a statement that Roges “showed signs of weakness”, and did not specify the identity of the woman who died, the injuries Roges sustained or his passenger, or the name of the Roges passenger, who remained in hospital.
Officer Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the department, said police are prohibited under federal privacy law from disclosing medical information.
Steve Wolfson, the Clark County District Attorney, did not immediately respond to messages about the charges against him.
Testing is not an option in Nevada for convictions for a DUI causing death charge, which carries a potential sentence of two to 20 years in state prison. The possible penalty for reckless driving is one to six years in prison, with a probation period.
The Ruggs’ attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schoenfeld, said they are investigating the incident on behalf of their client and “are asking everyone to retain judgment until all the facts are gathered.”
Chesnoff declined further comment after Ruggs was released from University Medical Center and booked into Clark County Detention Center.
The raiders did not wait for court proceedings, sending a brief statement Tuesday night announcing Raggs’ release. The raiders had released a statement earlier in the day stating that the team was aware of the crash, “devastated by the loss of life” and “in the process of gathering information.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement saying, “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims 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.” affected by this devastating accident.”
The Raiders (5-2) were in their farewell week but returned to the team headquarters on Monday before having a day off on Tuesday. They were scheduled to start training on Wednesday before Sunday’s game at the New York Giants (2-6).
The Ruggs was the Raiders’ first-round draft pick in 2020 from Alabama, No. 12 overall, and at the time, team owner Mark Davis said of the quick show, “He was the only person I wanted in this draft.”
With 24 catches for 469 yards and two touchdowns, Ruggs averaged 19.5 yards per catch was second in the NFL among pass catchers with at least 20 receptions.
Rogers lost his childhood friend, Rod Scott, in a car crash in 2016, and Roges paid tribute to him by raising three fingers—Scott wore No. 3—to the sky after big plays.
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.