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Chris Henry dies after being in car accident


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[quote name='Bengal Chris' date='18 December 2009 - 12:23 AM' timestamp='1261110184' post='844313']
Ive been at work all day and had to deal with this and this really hurts to hear about this...and to beat it all Steeler fans thought it was funny...I FUCKING HATE STEELER FANS ITS BULLSHIT NO ONE SHOULD EVER LAUGH AT DEATH!!!!!....

RIP Slim...
[/quote]

how many people here laughed at Ben Roethlisberger's nearly fatal accident? lots...
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[quote name='BengalsOwn' date='18 December 2009 - 01:02 AM' timestamp='1261112548' post='844332']
how many people here laughed at Ben Roethlisberger's nearly fatal accident? lots...
[/quote]

Bens accident was not near fatal no matter how much he said it was.

When it was going on there was never thoughts that he could be dying, and had he died I dont think many people would be making fun of him.

Then again there probably would be one or two just like there are one or two steeler fans laughing about this.

But enough of comparing this to ben situation, cause I remember that, there was never any danger of him dying.
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[quote name='BengalsOwn' date='18 December 2009 - 03:02 PM' timestamp='1261112548' post='844332']
how many people here laughed at Ben Roethlisberger's nearly fatal accident? lots...
[/quote]


I think for the most part, the jokes made against Ben were after people knew that he had only broken his jaw and wasn't dying.
MULLY
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man i cant get over this. seeing the guy at training camp every year, watching Chris play every sunday. It was awesome to see him turn things around. I just cant get over it. I dont know how to feel. Im so saddened by this. I cant imagine how badly his teammates are hurting. Chads interview was so emotional. man i cant even think about the game sunday
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It's weird how I've been affected by his death, though I never met him. Although following the team so closely you get a sense that you do know the players as people on a certain level. He was one of my personal favorite players and I think the fact he was still quite young and seeing him go from an unfortunate unlucky knucklehead to family man and father with an obvious heart makes it that much harder than it might normally be.

My new signature are lyrics that relfect exactly how I first felt hearing about his death, and the reaction afterwords.
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I have been thinking about Chris most of the day and it has really had me down. I was Christmas shopping with my wife and looking for things for our own baby that is due in Feb and my mind kept going to Chris.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family, fiance and kids. They are going to need them. I can't imagine how his fiance must feel. Knowing the last moments with your soon to be husband were some sort of situation that lead to death. Regarding the article in this thread, I really hope Chris did not commit suicide. That makes this tragedy even worse. I don't think anything so bad could have happened that he really wanted to leave behind his fiance and kids.

I am trying to remember the good times of Chris being around. The picture I have on my background and blackberry has Chris in the background as we beat the Ravens after Vikki Zimmer died. It looks like pure football loving Chris. Hopefully as time passes, this is the memory that remains strongest for me.

[IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/bmweaver/CardiacKats.jpg[/IMG]
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I hope for the life of me that Chris didn't jump. I can't even take knowing he is gone, but if I knew that he did it..it would be an even tougher pill to swallow.

Chris doesn't seem like that type of guy. But I wish Loleini would have just stopped and realized the danger, which I'm sure isn't easy in the heat of things.

Anyways..Slim R.I.P. and Love man. I'll make sure my future genes now about you when they're old enough. Potentially could have been one of the greatest.

If you guys can watch Chad's last Ustream..he talks all about Chris and his fondness for Wayne, going to get ice cream after curfew in TC and such. Just good to hear..
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[quote name='oldschooler' date='17 December 2009 - 11:58 PM' timestamp='1261108709' post='844303']
[size="5"][b]Chris Henry threatened to kill himself as girlfriend drove off, witness says[/b]
[/size]
[size="4"][b]Details emerging in accident that killed Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver[/b]
[/size]By Carrie Whitaker • [email="cwhitaker@enquirer.com"]cwhitaker@enquirer.com[/email] • December 17, 2009
[b]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. [/b]- In the last conscious moments of Chris Henry's life, the Bengals wide receiver begged the woman who has been credited for helping turn his life around to stop so they could talk or he would kill himself, a witness said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police verify that a domestic dispute jump-started the turn of events that led to fatal injuries Henry sustained after falling from a moving pickup Wednesday. Henry, who had a troubled past, was on medical leave visiting with his fiancée Loleini Tonga's family when the fight began Wednesday afternoon.They were to be wed in March.

Tonga's neighbor, Lee Hardy, was perched on a 15-foot ladder cutting back some trees when he saw the yellow pickup "zooming" up the Tongas' gravel driveway just a few yards away. Hardy said a shirtless black man clung to the top and side of the truck while standing in the bed, begging her to stop the vehicle.

"He was banging on the top, on the doors, screaming at the lady, 'We need to talk,'" Hardy said. "He said, 'If you take off, I'm going to jump off the truck and kill myself.'"
Hardy said she stopped, hesitating at the end of the driveway, and took off.

Soon afterward, emergency dispatchers got at least two calls to 911.

• [b][url="http://bit.ly/6Tokzj"]911 call: Henry in truck[/url][/b]
• [b][url="http://bit.ly/6ynLbg"]911 call: Henry in road[/url][/b]

One came from a woman driving behind the truck.

"I'm driving behind a yellow F-150, there's a black man on it with no shirt, he's got his arm in a cast," the woman reports. "He's beating on the truck … I don't know if he's trying to break in it or something crazy."

Then this call: "I need an ambulance now," a man said when he called dispatch. "There's a man laying in the road … he looks dead, there's no movement."

The caller goes on to tell emergency dispatchers that a crowd of people were standing around Henry. Someone was taking his pulse.

• [b][url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20091217&Kategori=SPT02&Lopenr=912170806&Ref=PH"]Photos: Bengals practice on Thursday[/url][/b]
• [b][url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20091217&Kategori=SPT02&Lopenr=912170802&Ref=PH"]Press conference photos[/url][/b]
• [b][url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20091018&Kategori=SPT02&Lopenr=910180801&Ref=PH"]Photos: Chris Henry and fiancée[/url]
• [url="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20091216&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=912160804&Ref=PH"]Photos: Accident scene[/url]
• [url="http://www.wcnc.com/video?id=79449252&sec=552217"]Video from the accident scene[/url][/b]


The spot where Henry hit the pavement was just a half-mile from Tonga's family home.

According to police, Tonga stopped immediately and rushed to his side.

"She pulled the vehicle over to get out and help," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokeswoman Officer Rosalyn Harrington.

No charges have been filed by police in connection with the incident.

"Even though this is a high-profile case, we are treating it like any other case in Charlotte," Harrington said.

About 6:30 a.m. Thursday, after hours of hoping and praying by family, friends and fans for a miraculous recovery, Henry died at Carolinas Medical Center south of downtown Charlotte.

He leaves behind three children. He and Tonga had two children together, Chris Jr., 2, and DeMarcus, 1.

Few details of the police investigation have been released.

As national media flocked to Charlotte, neighbors of the Tonga family watched the circus unfold outside their front doors.

Hardy said the Tongas have been great neighbors, occupying three properties that surround his. The Tongas' son often mows his grass without being asked, he said.
The Tongas, a Mormon family with ties to Fort Bragg is very close, Hardy said.

He and other neighbors mentioned that the family invited them to large luaus at their home with roasting pigs and hula dancing.

"They came and got my girls for trick-or-treat and a big Easter egg hunt," said Jamie Dunn, who is friends with Loleini Tonga's sister and lives across the street.

"They are just a really friendly family," Dunn said.

Neither the Tongas nor the Henrys have released statements to The Enquirer since Henry died. Henry's agent David Lee said they are destroyed by his death.

The injuries he sustained are a mystery at this point. Hospital officials would not even say Henry had been treated there Wednesday.

According to an investigator with the local medical examiner in Charlotte, Henry's body had not been received by their office or the morgue by mid-day Thursday. She was not sure if it would arrive Thursday night.

Once the body is received, preliminary details like cause of death may be available as soon as Friday, she said.

Charlotte bartender and sports fanatic Al Harris recalled other tragedies that have befallen on athletes in Charlotte, N.C.

He rattled off tragedies like Fred Lane, a Carolina Panthers running back who was shot and killed by his wife in July 2000; and Bobby Phills, a Charlotte Hornets basketball player who died street racing after practice. There's also Rae Carruth, a former first-round pick of the NFL's Carolina Panthers who was convicted for hiring a hit man who shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend.

"I'm telling you," Harris said. "Charlotte's cursed."




There is a pic in the link of Henry's fiancee's parent's house and there are tire tracks through the yard.



[url="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091217/SPT02/312170071/1066/Chris+Henry+911+calls+released"]http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091217/SPT02/312170071/1066/Chris+Henry+911+calls+released[/url]
[/quote]

I don't know if I believe Hardy.

Hardy is not an unbiased witness. He has good reason to "embellish" a bit since he's a very good friend of the Tonga family. Too many words spoken and it was a moving truck.
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[quote name='JC' date='18 December 2009 - 03:50 PM' timestamp='1261115418' post='844354']
I hope for the life of me that Chris didn't jump. I can't even take knowing he is gone, but if I knew that he did it..it would be an even tougher pill to swallow.
[/quote]

I'm just the opposite on that feeling. He's gone and nothing is going to bring him back. I pray to God that that little girl (his fiancee) doesn't have to live with the thought that she threw him out of the truck. If he jumped it's still rough on her but a ton better than her thinking that she killed him.
MULLY
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[quote name='JC' date='18 December 2009 - 01:50 AM' timestamp='1261115418' post='844354']
I hope for the life of me that Chris didn't jump. I can't even take knowing he is gone, but if I knew that he did it..it would be an even tougher pill to swallow.

Chris doesn't seem like that type of guy. But I wish Loleini would have just stopped and realized the danger, which I'm sure isn't easy in the heat of things.

Anyways..Slim R.I.P. and Love man. I'll make sure my future genes now about you when they're old enough. Potentially could have been one of the greatest.

If you guys can watch Chad's last Ustream..he talks all about Chris and his fondness for Wayne, going to get ice cream after curfew in TC and such. Just good to hear..
[/quote]

I'm beginning to believe she may have thought he was cheating on her (whether he was or not). Jealousy is bad news for a relationship and can even get you killed. Its how she was acting and her failure to stop plus she has no marks or injuries on her. I've seen that green headed monster before and all actions between both parties seemed eerily familiar.
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[quote name='Jungle1' date='18 December 2009 - 01:25 AM' timestamp='1261113943' post='844346']
I have been thinking about Chris most of the day and it has really had me down. I was Christmas shopping with my wife and looking for things for our own baby that is due in Feb and my mind kept going to Chris.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family, fiance and kids. They are going to need them. I can't imagine how his fiance must feel. Knowing the last moments with your soon to be husband were some sort of situation that lead to death. Regarding the article in this thread, I really hope Chris did not commit suicide. That makes this tragedy even worse. I don't think anything so bad could have happened that he really wanted to leave behind his fiance and kids.

I am trying to remember the good times of Chris being around. The picture I have on my background and blackberry has Chris in the background as we beat the Ravens after Vikki Zimmer died. It looks like pure football loving Chris. Hopefully as time passes, this is the memory that remains strongest for me.

[IMG]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/bmweaver/CardiacKats.jpg[/IMG]
[/quote]
look at the smile on his face. Wow.
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Just wanted to let Bengal Nation my thoughts are with you at this time.When we come down to it we are all one nation when we loose someone like Chris it hurts everyone that is in football. Chris was a good player and loved football I know he always gave us fits when we played you guys.I just wanted to say my thoughts and prayers are with you guys.Good luck for the rest of the year.
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[b][size="5"]Details regarding Henry incident emerge[/size][/b]
Posted by Mike Florio on December 18, 2009 7:08 AM ET

In the aftermath of the passing of Bengals receiver Chris Henry, questions remain regarding the cause of his death.

What's known is that he fell out of the back of a moving pickup truck, which was driven by his fiance, Loleini Tongas. What isn't known is whether he jumped, whether he accidentally fell, or whether she affirmatively tried to eject him.

Carrie Whitaker of the [i]Cincinnati Enquirer[/i] reports that a witness heard [url="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bengals/2009-12-17-chris-henry-mainbar-charlotte_N.htm"]Henry threaten to jump if Tongas didn't stop[/url].

"He was banging on the top, on the doors, screaming at the lady, 'We need to talk,'" said Lee Hardy. "He said, 'If you take off, I'm going to jump off the truck and kill myself.'"

911 calls also have been released regarding the incident; one came from a woman who was driving behind the truck, and the other one came from a man who reported the presence of a man "laying in the road . . . he looks dead, there's no movement."

Whitaker also reports that police have concluded that Tongas immediately stopped the truck and rushed to assist Henry.

Meanwhile, the folks at TMZ.com, who have diverted a portion of the resources that have been focused on the three-week Tiger Woods watch, report that Henry and Tongas had [url="http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/18/chris-henry-wedding-costs-loleini-tongac-cincinnati-bengals/"]met with a wedding planning company[/url] the day before the accident, and that he was "annoyed" and "aggravated" by the cost of planning the wedding. A representative of the company told TMZ that the couple "bickered" over the details, and that Henry eventually walked out.

They were due to be married on March 15.





[url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/12/18/details-regarding-henry-incident-emerge/"]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/12/18/details-regarding-henry-incident-emerge/[/url]
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[size="5"][b]NFL reacts to Henry loss[/b]
[/size]GEOFF HOBSON

Posted Dec 17, 2009

Updated: 9:15 p.m.

The Ravens, the last team that [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-henry/96603ae9-bf37-425e-83af-e2b92581265d/"]Chris Henry[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/nflimg/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] played against, didn't know he had died Thursday morning when they began their morning meeting in Baltimore. But they knew he was in bad shape and head coach John Harbaugh called up quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson to say a few words and lead a prayer.

"He had a gleam in his eye when I saw him that last time. I was so proud and excited of what he'd been able to do," Jackson said after the Ravens practiced Thursday. "That's why it's so tough. The last time I saw him he was hurt and getting carted off the field. A good guy. And those guys who played with him will tell you that."


That was back on Nov. 8 when Henry dislocated his forearm in the Bengals 17-7 win over the Ravens. But it was none tougher than Wednesday afternoon after Jackson's quarterbacks meeting when he got the heads-up, sickening text from Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

There was a similar reaction around the teams where Henry has former teammates and they echoed the same sentiments his currents mates did. He had, indeed turned the corner. [i]The Buffalo News [/i]got one testimony.

"It was very sad. Tragic news. I think for the guys that know him, it's very different than the public perception of him," said Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw two touchdowns to Henry last season. "The trouble that he got in the past and all that, everybody knows that he's a great guy. He really had his share of problems but really got his life on track. Obviously, everybody's hearts and thought and prayers go out to his family, his fiancée, his kids … . I can tell you that everybody loved him in the locker room. He was a great teammate. It's going to be really hard for those guys because of how much they really cared for him."

Like all quarterbacks, Fitzpatrick liked to throw to Henry.

"He was such a talent. Carson likes to call him 'The next Randy Moss.' That's what he called him," Fitzpatrick said. "The way he played on the football field, the passion that he played with, how much he loved the game and really the chance that the Bengals gave him because they knew what kind of person that he was and the talent he possessed. I'm still trying to grasp what really happened because it's such tough news and a shock to hear."

If you don't think the NFL is a brethren, you know now as Fitzpatrick described the scene in the Bills locker room.


"When the news broke, everybody was gathered around the TV, watching. It's always something you never want to see happen, especially somebody in the NFL brotherhood. It affects everybody more than people realize," he said.

The Vikings, who just beat the Bengals last Sunday in Minneapolis, have two former teammates who also saw Henry change his life.

"The guy had a good heart, even though he didn't always use the best judgment," said safety Madieu Williams to [i]The Minneapolis Star-Tribune.[/i] "He always had a good heart. He was a guy who loved life, loved his family, loved his kids. He was an extremely hard worker and loved the game of football. It's sad to see that he won't get to see his kids again.


"A lot of the guys in Cincinnati said he was going down the right path. There were a lot of guys rooting for him. He matured a lot over the years. You saw the maturity and the way he handled himself at the end of last season and this season. You saw the growth and hoped that it would continue for him. It's unfortunate that it won't."

Fullback Naufahu Tahi was in the same agency with Henry and got to know him through his cousin, Bengals draft pick [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/fui-vakapuna/a3f6702b-4170-42e7-a20c-e2f022fb45fb/"]Fui Vakapuna[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/nflimg/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url].


"During the offseason, we hung out. Our agent did a client weekend in Vegas. [Henry] was there with his fiancée," Tahi said. "I was there with my cousin, Fui who was with the Bengals, and has the same agency. We hung out and that same weekend went up to Salt Lake for Fui's wedding. We hung out and had a lot of fun. It was fun to hang out with him. You could tell he made a lot of changes in his life. His demeanor and his attitude was different. This is a horrible thing to hear about. He was doing great. He was a lot happier and more excited to play football. Just his personality, he was a great guy."

Justin Smith and Ahmad Brooks of the 49ers, defensive players that overlapped Henry's time in Cincinnati, weighed in from the Coast.

Smith: "It's sad. He was a talented guy. When I played with him he was a good guy, quiet in the locker room. He kept to himself for the most part. From everything that it sounded like, he was getting back on track and this happens. My feelings go out to him and his family."

Brooks: "It was sad to hear. You hate to see somebody go. He was a good guy. We've all made bad decisions throughout our life, but he grew from it, he learned from it and he had a family, so I'm definitely sad to hear that happen. I knew him very well. I'm just sad to hear that and I'll pray for him, I'll pray for everybody."

Also affected by the news were the Redskins, a team that lost the leader of their defense two years ago during the season when Sean Taylor was shot to death in his home during a robbery.

"It's just something another team has to go through," said cornerback Carlos Rogers in the Washington locker room Thursday. "With Sean, we were close. He was like a brother and it was hard to get over. You play harder for that person and let your actions speak on the field."


But it was Jackson that may have known Henry best.

"This was a young man that struggled, but he wanted to do right," said Jackson, Henry's position coach his first two years. "I've been reading the quotes from the Bengals and they hit it right on the head. He needed to be directed and they had a lot of people bend over backwards there because they wanted to see Chris Henry succeed."

Jackson ticked off the list. Ray Oliver, the Bengals associate strength coach. Eric Ball, the director of player relations. Rusty Guy, the director of security "who I don't even know but must have done a hell of a job." Lewis. Bengals president Mike Brown.

Jackson could have added himself. When he scouted Henry at West Virginia, you could probably say that Jackson was a bit more enthusiastic about Henry than others in the process. Greg Seamon, the Bengals East Coast scout, also had high grades on him. The kid scored a touchdown per game in his last two years at WVU and there wasn't a criminal record. There were enough misgivings about his temper and maturity that his first-round talent fell into the third round. But no sign he would be arrested four times in half a year.

"Mike Brown wanted to know if he could come in here and work in a professional environment and produce and I thought so and I spent some time with him before the draft," Jackson said. "And if you look at it, he never had any problems at the facility. There were never problems around the team. Everything that happened to him happened away from football. When he was here, Chris Henry practiced hard and played hard."

Jackson doesn't sugarcoat it. It was at that team Christmas party in 2005 when he got wind that Henry was arrested for possession of marijuana the night before. He confronted him, found it was true, and then went to Brown and Lewis.

"I felt like I had let them down," Jackson said. "Chris needed to grow up, and we had a lot of people help. Eric Ball was my confidant when it came to Chris. I think you have to give Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis a lot of credit. Not a lot of people know what it takes to get the ins and outs of what people need to succeed in an environment. But Mike Brown never flinched. He never said to me, 'Hue, let's get rid of this guy.' Marvin had a lot of patience. It says a lot about them."

It says a lot about Jackson, and the last two days have been miserable. He says he has received calls from everyone who was in that receivers room in '05 and '06. He even heard from Reggie McNeal, a guy he hasn't heard from for a while.

"That room raised him. Chad raised him. T.J. raised him," Jackson said. "Chris is not a bad guy. The fact that all those guys called me or texted me, I think it shows that."

Jackson can still see the film from '05.

"Unbelievable hand-eye coordination," he said. "Tall. Lean. Big hands. Long strider. It didn't look like he was going fast, but the next thing you know, he was."

At some point Thursday, Jackson stopped himself.


"It's hard," he said. "It's hard to talk about him in the past tense."






[url="http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/NFL-reacts-to-Henry-loss/2657a539-11b8-45ce-a095-763dbf751766"]http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/NFL-reacts-to-Henry-loss/2657a539-11b8-45ce-a095-763dbf751766[/url]
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[b][size="5"]Peko knows he'll miss Henry[/size][/b]
GEOFF HOBSON

Posted: 12:35 a.m.

The tentative date for [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/chris-henry/96603ae9-bf37-425e-83af-e2b92581265d/"]Chris Henry[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/nflimg/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url]'s funeral appears to be Tuesday in Gretna, La., near New Orleans. It is believed the Bengals plan to charter a plane to the service, but on Thursday they were still trying to come to grips with his death.

Through their fiancée and girlfriend and kids, Henry and [url="http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/domata-peko/5a38a4b5-78a2-4c57-87c9-c03c2ce23719/"]Domata Peko[img]http://www.bengals.com/assets/nflimg/icon-article-link.gif[/img][/url] became close friends. Word that Peko's friend died in a pickup truck accident that police have described as part of "a domestic dispute" with fiancée Loleini Tonga didn't sound right to Peko and Henry's other teammates. They praised her Thursday for the order she brought to his life.

"Loleini had been a very steadying force in Chris' life, since she came into his life," said head coach Marvin Lewis, who thought that Charlotte had been a good place for Henry when he wasn't required to be in Cincinnati.

"He was with (her) family down there, which has been a very comfortable environment and really has been a great spot for him to be," Lewis said. "And he spent a lot of time down there once he was able to do that, so we were very comfortable with him in that environment."


"It's a curveball to everybody," said Peko, the defensive tackle and a captain. "I just pray for his mom and his family and for Loleini's family, and hope everything works out. Only they know what really happened. All I know is we lost Chris and when you lose a good friend like that it's going to hurt."

Peko, the son of a minister, says he is "live testimony" at the growth of Henry off the field. He arrived a year after Henry in 2006.

"When I first came here he was getting into so much trouble," Peko said. "It's been four years from when I first came to now and he changed. Big change. A really respectful person. He changed his life. Wasn't hanging around with a bad crowd anymore. Not going out and making a fool. He really changed his life. I'm going to miss him tremendously. He used to come over all the time. Hang out with me and kick it. His kids had play dates at my house. It's a tough time. I'm going to miss him a lot."









[url="http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Peko-knows-hell-miss-Henry/2dbb9c6d-1a5b-4237-8d84-f2900f214127"]http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Peko-knows-hell-miss-Henry/2dbb9c6d-1a5b-4237-8d84-f2900f214127[/url]
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[b][size="5"]Remembering Chris Henry[/size][/b]

Friday, December 18, 2009 5:16 AMBy [email="brabinowitz@dispatch.com"]Bill Rabinowitz[/email]



The Bengals called Chris Henry "Slim." For most of his time in Cincinnati that nickname could also have represented the chance of Henry making it both in the NFL and in life.That's what makes his death at the age of 26 so ironic and so tragic.

Had Chris Henry died during that long span that included five arrests early in his career, his passing would not have seemed surprising. He was on a collision course with disaster, even if none of the individual transgressions were particularly egregious.

Even Bengals president Mike Brown had enough, cutting the wide receiver in April last year. When Brown, over the objections of coach Marvin Lewis, decided to re-sign Henry a few months later, it was clear that Henry was on his ninth life as a Bengal. To his credit, Henry responded with a maturity and a purpose that had been absent.

I covered the Bengals from 2005 to 2007. I can't pretend that I knew Henry well. If the Tiger Woods case tells us anything, it's that we don't really know the athletes we watch or cover.

But I had enough knowledge that I knew that Henry's public persona, as Brown called it, was at best incomplete, if not wrong.
Henry was a quiet guy who was uncomfortable during interviews. Yes, he was immature. Yes, he was a follower. But he was not a malicious guy. He was not a thug. He was pleasant to talk to, even if he seldom provided great insights. His teammates talked about his gentleness and big heart.

That, unfortunately, contributed to his problems. Four years ago, I did a Thanksgiving story on Henry. He was from New Orleans and his family was left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. So Henry insisted that his family move to northern Kentucky to live with him. His mom and brothers came, as did some extended family and friends.

I remember interviewing his mom, Carolyn, at a Cincinnati restaurant and hearing the gratitude and love she felt so deeply for her son. He had saved his family.

But a dirty fact of professional sports is that it's difficult for athletes to know who their true friends are. And some of Henry's so-called friends dragged him into trouble.

As Lewis pointed out, it was only in Henry's last off-field incident, when he was falsely accused and the true culprit refused to take the blame, that Henry realized he had to cut ties with those hangers-on.

Since doing so, Bengals players and coaches said, Henry became a new man. His work ethic improved. He was attentive in meeting rooms.

On the field, he gave the Bengals a deep threat they badly needed until he broke his arm against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 8, ending his season.

The way he had turned his life around, that injury seemed to be a minor speed bump. Now we know that if he hadn't been hurt, he wouldn't have been in Charlotte, N.C., with his fiance when they got into a domestic spat that ended with his fatal fall off a pickup truck.

Tragedy is an overused word these days. If Chris Henry had died two years ago, it would have seemed an inappropriate one to use, given his downward spiral.

Today, after the past 18 months in which Henry began to prove he could be a responsible man as well as a football player, calling his death a tragedy seems fitting.

[b][email="brabinowitz@dispatch.com"]brabinowitz@dispatch.com[/email]





[url="http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/12/18/1218-remember-chris-henry.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101&title=Web+Xtra+%7C+Bill+Rabinowitz+commentary%3A+Remembering+Chris+Henry"]http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/12/18/1218-remember-chris-henry.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101&title=Web+Xtra+%7C+Bill+Rabinowitz+commentary%3A+Remembering+Chris+Henry[/url][/b]

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[size="5"][b]Emotional Bengals take Henry's death hard[/b]
[/size]By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer [i]4 hours, 37 minutes ago[/i]


CINCINNATI (AP)—For the second time in their breakthrough season, the [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/cin/;_ylt=AoBE6q8kL0R8gAiWB5f0ChQdsLYF"]Cincinnati Bengals[/url] are dealing with death.

Teary players held a somber practice Thursday and dedicated the rest of their season to receiver [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players;_ylt=AtoY9DFVDrAY3HNtm.8xZK8dsLYF?type=lastname&first=1&query=Chris+Henry&q=Chris+Henry"]Chris Henry[/url] after learning that he'd died a day after falling from the back of a pickup truck during what police described as a domestic dispute.

Shocked players huddled by themselves in the locker room once they got word that Henry had died at a hospital in Charlotte, N.C. They said a group prayer, then went out on the Paul Brown Stadium field to walk through some of their plays for an upcoming game in San Diego.

No one said much.

"It was tough," receiver [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8874/;_ylt=At2au1btWW3TUc_SES8kWWUdsLYF"]Andre Caldwell[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8874/news;_ylt=AlvP1G4o5TSnqbch5yRVD.odsLYF"](notes)[/url] said. "We were crying."

Not the first time, either.

The team was grief-stricken in October when Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, died unexpectedly at the couple's home. Three days later, Zimmer coached the defense in a 17-14 win in Baltimore that put them in control of the AFC North. Afterward, players teared up when Zimmer received the game ball.

Losing a teammate hit the Bengals (9-4) even harder on Thursday, leaving them in no mood to get ready for a game on Sunday. They can clinch the division title and only their second playoff spot in the last 19 years with a victory.

Players will put a commemorative No. 15 sticker on their helmets, and coaches will wear commemorative pins during the game.

Henry's death was particularly stunning to his teammates because he had put so much effort into changing his life in the last two years. Receiver [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5483/;_ylt=AvREv6_Y.6i18XB8cVan8godsLYF"]Chad Ochocinco[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5483/news;_ylt=AuYRbkRzaf6ayneZOc45T1kdsLYF"](notes)[/url] couldn't finish his plate of lunch—he dumped broccoli into a trash bin—and shuffled around the locker room slowly.

Ochocinco sniffled and blinked back tears welling in his eyes when he remembered how he'd talked to Henry on Tuesday night, catching up on things. Henry had been in Charlotte, where his fiancee's parents live, recovering from a broken arm that ended his season.

"He was doing everything right," Ochocinco said. "My grandma always says you never question the man upstairs on decisions he makes. Everyone makes mistakes, but I don't see how Chris was supposed to go already, especially when he was on the right path."

Players walked silently past Henry's locker in the corner of the room—his nameplate and No. 15 were still affixed to the top of the cubicle; a wooden stool rested upside-down on the shelf; Henry's shoes were lined up at the bottom; his tiger-striped helmet hung from the side.

Ochocinco wore Henry's white No. 15 practice jersey for an afternoon workout that started in a somber mood—no joking, no laughing, hardly any talking as players stretched.

When they learned of Henry's death, quarterback [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6337/;_ylt=ApHh5uC53wbqbC8iBbhztEIdsLYF"]Carson Palmer[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6337/news;_ylt=AsGShVBeeIXxLIqQo7Z0OOkdsLYF"](notes)[/url] called the players together and suggested they dedicate the rest of the season to the receiver and Vikki Zimmer.

"Carson spoke about one thing … that Chris was a great competitor," said defensive tackle [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7872/;_ylt=AnEMXx_GmhY55n.LSdHJoTkdsLYF"]Domata Peko[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/7872/news;_ylt=Aku9v9GFGBgPCwc3eFHYUQcdsLYF"](notes)[/url], who often had Henry and his family over to his house. "What he would want us to do is go out and win, not be sad. You're going to go through these times and be sad, but to pull together and dedicate the rest of the season to Chris and coach Zimmer's wife."

Following the afternoon practice, Zimmer said it was difficult to deal with another tragedy.

"I don't think anyone knows how to deal with it," Zimmer said. "Like I told somebody, the world's not going to stop. That's how it was with me. That's the one thing I learned from this whole deal—the world ain't stopping. People still get up and go to work. Everyone's got to deal with different issues, and unfortunately we're dealing with this one."

Bengals players got calls and text messages from around the league. Receiver [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5652/;_ylt=Aqh08Z2ERsTSYlb6oIb8L8odsLYF"]T.J. Houshmandzadeh[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5652/news;_ylt=ArHB2a1NbqKzyFBQqL5cqQ0dsLYF"](notes)[/url], who left Cincinnati for Seattle after last season, got through to Ochocinco and traded texts with other players and coaches.

"I can imagine what everyone is feeling because everyone liked him," Houshmandzadeh said. "Carson really took a liking to him. The owner, who matters the most, really liked him, talked to him and realized that he was a real good person and gave him multiple chances, and he was starting to make him look good. He was going to stay out of trouble. And for your life to end like this is unbelievable."

A talented player, Henry, 26, had struggled through a number of mistakes away from the field—he was suspended five times—and the Bengals at one point released him after the 2007 season as he dealt with an assault charge. But owner [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5068/;_ylt=AqW15l_L3D1hLYYE1H8ZYYcdsLYF"]Mike Brown[/url][url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5068/news;_ylt=Am7d0abgCg.XBa5dI8gg9_sdsLYF"](notes)[/url] decided to give Henry another chance and brought him back on a two-year deal before the 2008 season.

Brown liked Henry's personality and was glad that he gave him another chance.

"I don't regret it," Brown said. "He had troubles and some of them were made more of than I think they actually were. But we knew him here as the person he was in fact."

"And yes, it was challenging at times with him, but he was someone who we liked and thought could regroup, catch himself and restart his life. And to his credit, I think he did that. And it's a terrible tragedy that just at the time he was running to daylight, if you will, his life was snuffed out."

Henry was popular in his hometown of Belle Chasse, La., a suburb of New Orleans, and had numerous fans in the Superdome when the Bengals visited the Saints this past preseason.

"Belle Chasse is a small community and he had a great reputation here," said Larry Maples, Henry's basketball coach at Belle Chasse High School. "He was a good person in the community and in school."

Earlier in the summer, Henry visited with his prep football coach to talk about his NFL career.

"He came by just before training camp and we had a long talk. It really seemed he was headed in a new direction," Bob Becnel said. "I told him he had to do better. We talked about making sure he was hanging around the right people and was aware of the situation around him. It seemed like he was making a diligent effort to do well."







[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bengals-henryreax&prov=ap&type=lgns"]http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bengals-henryreax&prov=ap&type=lgns[/url]
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[url="http://twitter.com/ctrent"][b][color="#0a0501"]ctrent[/color][/b][/url] [url=""] [/url] the outside of [url="http://twitter.com/search?q=%23bengals"][color="#0a0501"]#bengals[/color][/url]' Paul Brown Stadium this morning remembers Chris Henry [url="http://twitpic.com/u0tgz"][color="#0a0501"]http://twitpic.com/u0tgz[/color][/url]
[url="http://twitter.com/ctrent/status/6798568706"]7 minutes ago [/url]from [url="http://www.atebits.com/"]Tweetie[/url]
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A message from Diamond Dave:

[quote]I'm sorry I couldn't post this myself, but I'm having some trouble getting my account activated.

To the members of Go-Bengals:

On behalf of the members Steeler Nation I would like to extend our condolences on the death of Chris Henry. I can't say that I followed his career as closely as you all have, but I do know that he was always a fierce competitor on the field. I also read that despite his past troubles that Chris was working very hard to turn his personal life around and you can never find fault in someone like that. It is a tragedy that such a young life was taken at this time of year and my thoughts go out to the family, friends and fans that he left behind.

Sincerely,
David Fair
"Diamond Dave"
Steeler Nation.com" [/quote]
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