Chris Henry Died as He Lived

There are many words that can be used to describe Chris Henry’s passing Thursday morning—sad, tragic, terrible, awful, heartbreaking, and unfortunate all come to mind.

But the one word that cannot be used is surprising. As absolutely sad as it is, can anyone truly say that they were surprised when they heard that Chris Henry had died in what can only be described as a violent way?

Arguably one of the most talented receivers in the league, Henry has always seemed to fight the inner demons that forced him to act out. A product of the poor neighborhoods of New Orleans, Henry was the unfortunate stereotype of the modern athlete.

He was arrested for giving drinks to underage girls and for driving home drunk. He was arrested for allegedly assaulting a parking attendant and for possession of marijuana. He seemingly ran out of chances last winter when he was arrested again and sat at home unemployed for four months.

But Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown felt pity on Henry, or maybe he just liked the fact that he could get a talented receiver on the cheap. Whatever the reason, Henry was back in camp and on the team, even if he was suspended for eight games.

Since that second chance, Henry has stayed on the straight and narrow. You didn’t hear a peep from him and teammates said that he worked as hard as any player in camp. Quarterback Carson Palmer had nothing but good things to say about his troubled receiver.

And Henry lived up to that praise. While he didn’t set the world on fire, he gave the Bengals a legitimate deep threat and the offense flourished. When he was lost for the season with a broken arm four weeks ago, the offense suffered.

As it turns out, Henry needed the Bengals much more than they needed him. For the past two seasons, the allure of playing football kept Henry straight. Once he lost that, in the form of injury rather than suspension, is when the demons returned.

The facts of what happened late Wednesday night will come out in the coming days, but the initial reports aren’t that encouraging. Maybe he was in the wrong place at the right time or maybe he was trying to help rather than hurt, but that seems to be unlikely. It is more likely that Henry died the way he lived—toeing the edge of how civilized people are supposed to act.

On the field, the Bengals will be okay. Henry was already on IR and out for the year and in an unrelated move, the team apparently was going to activate receiver Jerome Simpson to give the team what Henry used to give them.

Off the field, the Bengals will have to recover from a second tragic incident this season. When defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife Vicki died in September, the team rallied to win four of its next five games and seize control of the AFC North. Maybe this time, the team will rally again and make a push for the Super Bowl.

But more important than wins and losses, is the effect that Henry’s death will have on younger players, not just his former teammates. In both football and basketball, the “thug mentality” has taken a toll and its effects can be seen all the way down to the junior high level. For most star athletes, that kind of life leads to a loss of income or prestige. But Henry, and more importantly his two young sons, lost much more than that.

Surprising? No, Chris Henry’s death is not surprising. But maybe the lessons that are learned from his tragic death will serve as an inspiration to others. Now that would be a true Christmas miracle.