Henry Ruggs III, the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, publicly expressed regret over the fatal DUI crash that ended the life of 23-year-old Tina Tintor in 2021. Speaking at a Hope For Prisoners event on Tuesday, Ruggs said he wishes he could “turn back the hands of time.” The 26-year-old was granted special release from prison to speak at the event, according to the organization’s Facebook livestream.

In 2023, Ruggs was sentenced to three to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Authorities said Ruggs was driving his Corvette at 156 mph with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when he collided with Tintor’s vehicle. The impact caused her car to burst into flames, killing both her and her dog.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that I’m sure we all wish we could make some choices again,” Ruggs said at the event. “I never saw myself in that type of situation.” He explained that he never intended to drive that night and was struggling emotionally at the time. When asked what he would say to Tintor’s family, Ruggs said, “I would love for them to meet the real Henry Ruggs and not the one that was escaping from something.”

He acknowledged the continued pain Tintor’s family endures each time they see his face in headlines. “I sincerely apologize for not only being a part of that situation, but the fact that my face is always in the news, my face is always in the newspaper, so they have to constantly be reminded of the situation,” he said.

Ruggs, who starred at the University of Alabama, was drafted by the Raiders in 2020 and released just hours after the crash. Despite his circumstances, Ruggs said he still dreams of returning to the NFL. “I would love to come and go out gracefully,” he said. “I don’t feel like I ended on the terms that are meaningful to me and that I value.”