Lawyers for Henry Ruggs dispute timeline of workout video
Lawyers for Henry Ruggs say a recently circulated social media video of the former Raiders wide receiver doing agility drills was filmed before the fatal November 2021 crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor.
The video, which appears to have been posted over the weekend from a content company called Cold Turkey Productions, has been picked up by several TikTok and Instagram accounts. Multiple blogs also have posted stories about the video, which shows Ruggs doing quick footwork drills before sprinting forward on a field.
@coldturkeyproduction Henry Ruggs Is Back On The Field Working Out 🤫 #foryou #fypシ #foryoupage #football #coldturkeyproduction #henryruggs #henryruggslll #henryruggsiii #nfl #nflfootball #alabamafootball #alabama #atlanta #workout #speeddrills ♬ original sound - Cold Turkey Production 🥶 🦃
A caption on one of the videos says “Henry Ruggs Is Back On The Field Working Out,” suggesting the workout was recent.
However, a review of the video suggests it is almost certainly a behind-the-scenes look at a commerical project Ruggs shot with shoe company adidas at Hoover High School in Alabama during the 2021 offseason, months before the crash.
Adidas | 5 Conditioning Drills with Henry Ruggs III from JUNK FILMS on Vimeo.
“It is unfortunate and mean-spirited that this type of speculative reporting occurs,” the law firm of Chesnoff & Schonfeld told the Review-Journal in a statement. “It does real harm to all people impacted by the case.”
Ruggs has been charged with felony counts of DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm in connection with the crash. Earlier this month, his preliminary hearing on the matter was delayed to Oct. 12.
Ruggs, 23, was driving 156 miles per hour seconds before the crash, according to prosecutors, and his blood-alcohol level tested at 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada.
Ruggs, who is out on bail and under house arrest, is still required to wear an ankle monitor under a high-level electronic monitoring program.
He was released from the Raiders hours after the crash.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.