Illinois LB Trulon Henry Shot, Expected to Miss Remainder of Season

Illinois linebacker Trulon Henry was shot in the hand at a party near the campus and is going to miss the rest of the 2011 season. 

According to a report from Bob Asmussen in the Champaign News-Gazette, Henry only went to the party to help players get home because it was getting out of control, and he was shot.

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Members of the Illinois football were at the party when a fight broke out. One of the players called Henry to have him help get the players away from the scene. Shots were fired into the crowd and Henry was hit in the hand.

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Henry has been one of the best and most inspirational stories in a season that has been riddled with scandals. He has worked hard to rehabilitate his image and life after serving five years in prison for his role in robbing a Washington grocery store. 

Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did a feature story on Henry and his path to redemption earlier this year. It was not easy for him to get onto a college football team after serving time in prison. 

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Upon release, he wanted to pursue college football. But he found that many schools didn't embrace the idea of taking a player with a criminal record. Then Henry was given a chance at the College of DuPage, a junior college in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

At one time considered a marginal junior college talent, Henry played his way into a scholarship in Champaign. He visited his half-brother, Arrelious Benn, repeatedly while at DuPage. He is now expected to start at safety for the Illini.

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Henry will now miss the rest of the season, but the injury is not considered to be life-threatening. He will have surgery on Sunday. 

Head coach Ron Zook will address the media via teleconference this afternoon.