Eagles WR DeVonta Smith Leaves Practice for Henry Ruggs Sentencing

Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith was excused from practice on Wednesday from what was at first labeled as unknown personal reasons. 

But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith left practice in order to attend the sentencing hearing in Nevada of former Las Vegas Raiders receiver and Alabama teammate Henry Ruggs III, who was receiving his sentencing for a fatal DUI crash that killed a 23-year-old woman in Nov. 2021.

Ruggs, who was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, was close friends with Smith while the two played receiver together for the Crimson Tide from 2017-19. The Raiders selected Ruggs with the No. 12 overall pick in 2020.

In 2022, Ruggs pleaded guilty to the felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges. According to prosecutors, he was driving 156 miles per hour before rear-ending the vehicle of Tina Tintor.

After the incident in 2021, Smith and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who played with Ruggs and Smith at Alabama during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, opened up about the emotions of the experience.

“My heart breaks for everybody involved, the family of the young lady that lost her life,” Smith said in Nov. 2021. “It was rough at the beginning of the week. But just coming in every day, being with the guys, they helped me out a lot. It was tough, but eventually the guys helped me get through it. Everybody lifted me up. The whole team.”

Smith and Hurts had just played against Ruggs and the Raiders only days prior to the heartbreaking incident. Vegas won 33-22 at Allegiant Stadium.

“I have a lot of love for DeVonta. I love him like a brother," Hurts said in 2021. "I have a lot of love for Henry Ruggs, as well. I love him like a brother. My ‘Bama brothers. It’s tough for all of us to experience what we experienced this week and how tragic of a situation it was. But we’re all warriors, and we all see it through."

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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