June 11, 2026 - 12:17 pm

Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs could remain in prison for another year after the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners denied his bid for parole.

Ruggs, 27, was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison in 2023 for causing the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of DUI resulting in death and a count of vehicular manslaughter.

He appeared before the parole board in May and said he took full responsibility for the fact that his actions led to the death of Tintor and her dog, Max.

“Not a minute goes by where I don’t think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community,” he said.

Commissioner Sandy Schmitt said during the prior parole hearing that Ruggs was eligible for parole Aug. 5, 2026, and had a mandatory parole date of Aug. 24, 2027.

Schmitt and Commissioner Lamicia Bailey, who conducted Ruggs’ hearing in Las Vegas, both voted to deny him parole, according to parole board records. So did Commissioners Eric Christiansen and Sue Fahami.

According to an order, the board’s reasons for denial were Ruggs’ removal from a community supervision program and the impact “on victim(s) and/or community.”

The board recommended that he not engage in misconduct and participate in “victim empathy programming.”

At the time of the 2021 crash, Ruggs was speeding down Rainbow Boulevard in his Corvette Stingray when he slammed the back of Tintor’s SUV so violently that it caught fire.

Ruggs was driving up to 156 mph seconds before the crash, and authorities said his blood alcohol level was 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit.

Nevada Department of Corrections records show that he is currently incarcerated at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center.

Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a Thursday statement that they disagreed with the parole board’s decision.

“Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor’s family,” the statement said. “However, we are disappointed by the Parole Board’s decision to deny parole despite overwhelming evidence of Mr. Ruggs having accepted responsibility for his conduct, having engaged in community outreach efforts related to DUI prevention, and having completed significant educational programs while in custody.”

Several members of Tintor’s family who have previously spoken publicly could not be reached for comment Thursday.

“Every parent’s worst nightmare is to create a beautiful child just to have them taken away at the hands of another’s negligence,” said Tintor’s cousin, Daniel Strbac, in a statement prepared by her mother, Mirjana Komazec, at Ruggs’ sentencing hearing. “There are very few words to explain the feelings of losing a child. It is a pain we feel every day.”

Though Ruggs worked at the Nevada governor’s mansion and graduated from the University of Alabama while incarcerated, parole officials said he also had an October 2025 write-up for “noncompliance with travel arrangements,” which led to his removal from a re-entry program.

According to Schmitt, Ruggs was considered a low risk, and guidelines recommended that he be paroled at his first or second hearing. The May 11 hearing was his first.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.