The Eagles were missing wide receiver DeVonta Smith at practice on Wednesday. That's because the team excused Smith to attend Henry Ruggs III's hearing in Las Vegas, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, where the former Raiders wideout was sentenced to at least three years in prison for a 2021 DUI crash that killed a woman and her dog.
Ruggs, 24, pleaded guilty in May to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, after he drunkenly drove his sports car up to 156 miles per hour and collided with a car driven by the late Tina Tintor, 23. He and Smith became close friends while they were teammates at Alabama from 2017-2019, per The Inquirer, with Smith calling Ruggs a "brother from another mother."
Ruggs apologized in court Wednesday for his actions, saying he has "no excuses" and intends to speak "about the dangers of driving at unsafe speeds and driving and drinking" after his prison sentence, per the Associated Press. Smith, who returned to Eagles camp Thursday, wasn't the only one who offered support to the ex-Raiders receiver during the sentencing.
Mirjana Komazec, Tintor's mother, extended grace to Ruggs after lamenting the loss of her daughter.
"We pray that Henry Ruggs is blessed with the opportunity to be able watch his beautiful daughter grow into the amazing woman she can be," Komazec said in a statement. "And we pray that this terrible accident inspires positive change in the world. We pray that we all take away the importance of looking out for one another, remembering everyone we meet is another human's loved one."
