Sports feeds
E-mail sports alerts
DDN sports mobile
Sports TwitterHenry just wants to get back to playing ball
Ex-Bengals receiver tells Sportstalk 980 he wants to put his troubles in the past and get back in the NFL.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
DAYTON – When callers to the Sportstalk 980 Show on WONE-AM discussed players who might comprise a Cincinnati Bengals "Mount Rushmore" on Wednesday, July 2, there was no support for Chris Henry.
Hardly a surprise considering the talented but troubled receiver was cut from the Bengals on April 3 and is under indefinite suspension from the NFL after a string of arrests.
With time on his hands, Henry agreed to appear on the talk show by phone, but only after the station submitted a list of questions for the approval of handlers.
Henry, bantering with host Mark Schlemmer, mainly spoke about staying out of trouble and getting another chance in the league.
"I'm going to handle myself like a professional at all times," Henry pledged. "I'm going to stay away from the wrong people and never put myself in a bad situation.
"It's been a long three months not being on a ballclub," he added. "I'm gonna try to put it all behind me. Just get back to playing ball."
Henry said he plans to spend time in North Carolina training and getting into shape just in case he's allowed back into the league and somebody actually remembers he caught 88 passes for 1,370 yards and 17 touchdowns in his three years with the Bengals.
Wednesday, a Hamilton judge declared a mistrial after Henry's assault proceeding resulted in a hung jury. This came after the June 27 dismissal of a criminal damaging charge. Both charges stemmed from an April 2 incident in which Henry is accused of punching an 18-year-old man.
Only when Commissioner Roger Goodell lifts his suspension can Henry attempt to join a team. But teams will be wary, considering his past.
"It's tough for him right now," said NFL analyst Carlos Holmes, Schlemmer's co-host. "You hear a lot of negatives.
"He's a very quiet kid. He's going to be beat down in the media. I'm not concerned about Chris Henry as a player right now. I'm concerned about him as a person."
