GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) -Tattoos tell the story of Chris Henry’s troubled, turned-around life in football.
There’s an NFL emblem inked across the back of his right hand, something he got as a youth to remind himself of where he wanted to go.
“I was in high school,” the receiver said. “It was kind of a dream. It all worked out.”
For a time, anyway. His inability to stay out of trouble with the Cincinnati Bengals cost him everything. After his fifth arrest in March of last year, they dumped him. All that Henry had left of his pro career was that shield-shaped tattoo on his right hand.
So much for the dream.
Stunningly, owner Mike Brown changed his mind and decided to give Henry what amounted to a fifth chance last August. After serving a four-game suspension from the league, he had a so-so season in Cincinnati that got a little better as it went along.
enry decided another tattoo was in order. This one would be just below his left ear, an inch-tall word in flowing text.
It says: Blessed.
“I kind of felt like I dug myself out of the hole and started doing the right things,” Henry said. “People say, ‘How you feeling now Chris? You doing all right?’ I just tell them I’m blessed. That’s why I got it.”
Finally, he seems to get it.
Coaches and teammates have seen real change in the thin, soft-spoken receiver, who had ignored their advice about changing his lifestyle during his troubled times. He showed a new commitment to working out with the team and getting in top shape. He stayed out of trouble.
During an interview outside his dorm room at Georgetown College, the 26-year-old from suburban New Orleans talked freely about how his few months out of football last year became a bottoming-out moment.
“I don’t live the way I did in the past,” Henry said. “I kind of plan my days out and take it one day at a time and stay away from the wrong people. I’m not partying anymore. I’m just focused on football right now and my family. I don’t associate with the same people. I’ve completely changed everything.”
to use the car – Henry called quarterback Carson Palmer and hooked up for the drive down Interstate 75 on Thursday.
How has Henry changed?
“In every way a man can change,” said Palmer, who tried to befriend Henry when he was getting in trouble. “He’s a great kid with a great heart. He’s changed his life around. He ran into some trouble, made some bad decisions, and realized that. He’s sorry for them, apologized for them, and has done everything he can to make himself a better person. I’m just proud of him.”
So is the owner who gave him the chance.
The Bengals overlooked Henry’s history of outbursts at West Virginia when they took him in the third round of the 2005 draft. Once in Cincinnati, he was arrested four times – accused of marijuana possession, carrying a concealed weapon, drunken driving and providing alcohol to minors – and repeatedly suspended for violating the NFL’s conduct policy.
His fifth arrest last year prompted Brown to finally cut ties. Then, the owner who refers to himself as “a redeemer” changed his mind and gave Henry a two-year deal, despite the objection of coach Marvin Lewis.
s like.
“If you only knew him by hearsay, you’d think he’s some kind of ogre,” Brown said. “It’s not true. He’s a good person. When you see him up close, you’ll find that you’ll like him. He’ll be a soft-spoken, pleasant person.”
When the Bengals opened camp a year ago, Henry was out of football.
“I’ve thought about that,” he said. “It just goes to show how lucky I am. Last year, I was looking for a team to play for. I was blessed that Mike Brown picked me back up.”
Henry has been so dedicated in offseason workouts that offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is trying to figure out how to get the No. 3 receiver more time in the offense. Bratkowski, too, has noticed a change.
“A lot of people tried to take him under their wing early, when all the issues were going on, and it didn’t click,” Bratkowski said. “The light didn’t go on. As it’s moved forward – I can’t give you a reason why – the light went on.
“And, knock on wood, it will stay on and it will stay bright.”
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