For more than half the year, Chris Henry lived up to the hype. He was getting his life in order and was finally demonstrating the talent that encouraged the Bengals to draft him in the 3rd round in 2005, leading the team with a 19.7 avg yards per catch. That stat alone screams deep-threat WR. Carson Palmer, a respected and established NFL QB calls him the "next Randy Moss." It finally appeared as if Henry was getting it together.
Alas, earlier this year in a win against Baltimore, Henry broke his arm and his season was over again, all too early. Many fans were disappointed, rooting for the kid to get his stuff together. Sadly, his life ends in turmoil as he fell out of the back of a truck allegedly driven by his fiancee in a domestic dispute gone bad. She was driving away after an argument and he jumped in the back of the truck and was beating on the window. Sometime during the drive he tumbled out of the back of the truck onto the road and was found unconscious and foaming at the mouth.
It's sad. He was 26...just a year older than me (that's a sobering thought). So many of these kids come from nothing, have no male influence in their lives, and are handed instant celebrity and millions of dollars. No one is there to guide them other than their ghetto friends that they grew up with and it's a recipe for trouble. Guys like Henry, Pacman, and Charles Rogers never really had a chance. What were they supposed to do? They simply don't have the maturity and the NFL doesn't have a strong enough support system in place to help guide these young men through the challenges of being a professional football player.
I believe every man is responsible for his own actions. Yet, when you are raised without role models and have so much talent the rules have been bent for you your whole life, it's hard for a young man to know any better. When is the NFL going to do more? How many more talented kids have to be lost? RIP Chris Henry...
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