Former Alabama WR DeVonta Smith Skips Eagles Practice to Attend Henry Ruggs III's Sentencing Hearing
On Wednesday, former Alabama and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith was excused from practice to attend the sentencing of Henry Ruggs III in Las Vegas.
Ruggs, a former Alabama and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver who became friends with Smith during their time as teammates at Alabama, was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison for killing a woman in a crash in November 2021.
Last year, Ruggs III pleaded guilty to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. According to court documents, Ruggs reached speeds of up to 156 mph and had a blood-alcohol level roughly twice the legal limit before his Chevrolet Corvette struck the back of Tina Tintor’s Toyota RAV4, resulting in the death of the 23-year-old woman and her dog.
"My heart breaks for everyone involved, especially the family of the young lady who lost her life," Smith said in November 2021 following the tragedy. “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.”
Ruggs III, a former first-round draft pick, was the initial wide receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, chosen by the Raiders with the 12th overall pick. A member of Alabama's 2017 national championship team, Ruggs III's total of 24 career receiving touchdowns ranks him third on Alabama's all-time leaderboard.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was also a former teammate of Ruggs III at Alabama, spoke on the matter in 2021.
"You'd never think this guy could hurt a soul, so when you see something like that – I mean, I'm still kind of in disbelief," Tagovailoa said. "But, obviously my heart goes out to the family that has been affected by it. But my heart also goes out to Henry as my teammate, ex-teammate."
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