OJ Simpson criticized Wednesday’s sentence against former NFL player Henry Ruggs for saying it was too lenient compared to his own sentence for a nonviolent armed robbery.
The NFL legend and ex-convict, 76, said he was confused when Ruggs, 24, received a three to 10 year sentence despite causing the death of a 23-year-old woman after she was drunk with over 250 km/h driven through a Las Vegas street was stripes in November 2021.
“It just doesn’t add up,” said Simpson, who served nine years behind bars after attempting to use a gun to steal sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel room in September 2007.
“I know I went to college on a football scholarship, but somehow that math just doesn’t do it for me,” he added.
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Former NFL player Henry Ruggs was jailed on Wednesday for a November 2021 accident that killed a woman after he was drunk driving over 150 miles per hour. He is pictured in court in May
OJ Simpson stands in the courtroom after being sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison on December 4, 2008 for armed robbery
Simpson wasn’t the only one who believed Ruggs may have gotten off lightly for his role in the November 2021 accident that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog.
The former Las Vegas Raiders star could have faced a 50-year sentence, but in May he settled and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of drunk driving.
Hours after the verdict was read in the same courthouse where he was sentenced 14 years ago, Simpson shared his thoughts on the court case with his 900,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“You drive a car at about 160 miles an hour on a public highway and you end up killing a girl and her dog and you get three to ten years for it?” he said, noting Ruggs’ crime.
In comparison to his own arrest for armed robbery, he said, “You walk into a hotel room where you are invited to retrieve your personal stolen property – property that I now own because it has been classified as my property by the state.” of California – and you get nine to 33 years?’
“Same courthouse, same city, same state.” I don’t know. “Somehow this just doesn’t add up for me…I’m just saying,” he finished.
Simpson’s armed robbery conviction came exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her boyfriend Ron Goldman, and some speculate that because of the attention the infamous murders drew, he was a received a harsher punishment.
Simpson was later found responsible for the deaths in a civil court and ordered to pay over $30 million in damages.
Ruggs had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit prior to the fatal accident in November 2021
The former NFL player in court with one of his attorneys, Richard Schonfeld (left), in March
A Chevrolet Corvette of then Raiders wide receiver Ruggs III is seen on a flatbed truck following a fatal crash on South Rainbow Boulevard November 2, 2021
Tina Tintor, 23, tragically died along with her dog Max in the accident on the Las Vegas Strip
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Ruggs stood up to apologize to the family of Tina Tintor, a 23-year-old woman who died while intoxicated in a crash involving her Corvette supercar.
According to reports, Ruggs accelerated at a speed of 250 km/h, exceeding twice the legal alcohol limit. A coroner concluded that Tintor was burned in the accident.
Hours before the horrific accident at 3:30 a.m., Ruggs was filmed partying and drinking on a TopGolf in Las Vegas. Police said he left after midnight and hours later he was caught recklessly flying down the street.
While speeding at over 150 mph, he quickly realized he was on a collision course with Tintor’s Toyota RAV4 when he hit the brakes and crashed into their car at around 125 mph.
The 23-year-old and her dog Max burst into flames and Ruggs was arrested after a brief hospital stay with minor injuries.
He has remained under house arrest for the past 18 months after posting $150,000 bail under strict conditions including alcohol monitoring.
After completing the deal that gave him a reduced sentence, it was suggested he could return to the NFL after serving his sentence.
If – like OJ Simpson – he is released in the first year he is due to be paroled, Ruggs will only be 27 when he is released from prison.
In a statement following his sentencing, Ruggs said: “To Ms Tintor’s parents and family, I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering my actions on the morning of November 2, 2021 caused you, your family and those who knew the woman , have inflicted.” . Tina and Max.’
“I have failed my family, my teammates and those who believed in me with my actions and hurt so many… I vow to be the father and the man that God intended for me.”
A coroner ruled Tintor burned in the accident, and footage showed her car bursting into flames on the Las Vegas street
Ruggs’ Corvette supercar can be seen in the foreground of the scene while Tintor’s Toyota RAV4 exploded into a fireball
Ruggs (right, #11) was a college football star who was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft
Ruggs played as a wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders for two seasons, but was fired from the team on the same day as the car accident.
Raised in Montgomery, Alabama, he caught his early career before turning pro with numerous accomplishments, including an NCAA championship with the University of Alabama.
The standout was then drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft and signed a four-year contract valued at more than $16 million.
Before the accident, he was one of the NFL’s hottest prospects, and records show he’d bought a $1.1 million home months earlier.
Ruggs’ girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, was injured in the accident. The couple have one daughter together, who was born in May 2020.