Henry signing causes buzz

Sports talk radio has always loved to poke fun at the Cincinnati Bengals. Sports television shares that passion along with the local media. On August 19, 2008, the Bengals were drilled harder than ever before when they signed troubled wide receiver Chris Henry.

700 WLW and 1530 HOMER (Cincinnati’s two major sports talk stations) discussed the signing and many of the fans/former players/talk show hosts had different opinions. The majority seemed to agree that signing Henry was a terrible move. That same majority used the words “confused” and “embarrassed” to sum up their feelings. Henry’s few supporters called in and defended the man who might have been falsely accused of his last arrest.

Overall, every article written says the reasoning for the signing is due to the injuries to Bengals receiving core. Loud mouth Chad Johnson sprained his shoulder in the team’s last preseason game and fan favorite T.J. Houshmanzadeh has missed both preseason games so far. Cincinnati could use a proven receiver, however, the team needs a receiver right now and Henry can’t play until the team’s fifth game.

The fact that Henry can’t play for the first four games has many fans even more confused about the signing. Most fans are confused because a team that needs a receiver right now shouldn’t sign one that can’t be used until later in the season. Other fans (his supporters) are confused because they wonder why Henry is even suspended for four games - when you consider the fact that the charges against Henry in his latest arrest were dropped. This caused numerous arguments over the airwaves.

His supporters argued that Henry shouldn’t even be suspended. Others claim that Henry must of violated other guidelines that the commissioner Roger Goodell set in his previous suspension (was suspended for eight games last season). Many forget that Henry was suspended indefinitely after his latest arrest, that was when Henry was released from the Bengals and once the charges were dropped the suspension shrunk to four games. So the four-game suspension has some controversy to it.

My personal opinion on the matter is that I don’t honestly care. The move cannot hurt the team. It can only benefit and it seems to me that Henry has used his last “get out of jail for free” card. Another mistake will not be tolerated and Henry better behave if he wants to stay in the NFL.

Speaking of mistakes here is a list of the many mistakes he made as a Bengal according to Wikipedia:

- December 15, 2005: Henry was pulled over in Northern Kentucky for speeding. During a search, marijuana was found in his shoes. He was also driving without a valid driver’s license or valid insurance.

- January 30, 2006: Henry was arrested in Orlando, Florida for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was reported to have been wearing his #15 Bengals jersey at the time of his arrest. Henry pleaded guilty and avoided jail time in both cases.

- May 4, 2006: Cincinnati media reported that Henry was being investigated by Covington, Kentucky police in connection with a sex crime which allegedly occurred in a Covington hotel room in the early morning of April 30, 2006. No charges have yet been filed, and on May 24, 2006, Covington police reported that there is no proof anything happened and that the alleged victim might have concocted the story and may face charges for filing a false police report.

- June 3, 2006: Chris Henry was pulled over outside on Interstate 275 at 1:18 a.m by Ohio Highway Patrol trooper Michael Shimko. At 2:06 a.m. Henry voluntarily submitted to a breathalyzer test at Milford Police Department and registered a .092 blood-alcohol level, .012 above the level permitted in the state of Ohio.

- September 25, 2006: Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was pulled over for driving under the influence. The truck Thurman was driving belonged to rookie quarterback/receiver Reggie McNeal. Neither McNeal nor Henry, who were passengers, were charged with any wrongdoing by authorities. However, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis suspended Henry for the Bengals game against the New England Patriots.

- October 6, 2006: Henry was suspended by the NFL for two games for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies. NFL policies forbid Henry from taking part in practices, however, he was allowed to attend any team meetings. Henry missed the Bengals’ October 15, 2006 game at Tampa Bay and their October 22, 2006 home game versus Carolina.

-January 25, 2007: Henry plead guilty to charges of providing alcohol to minors, an incident that occurred at a hotel in the spring in 2006. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with all but two of those days being suspended.

- April 10, 2007: Henry was suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 NFL season for violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. His suspension comes with a stern warning that future misconduct may result in the end of his career with the NFL. Henry was given permission by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to begin practicing fully. His suspension was lifted and he played in the November 11, 2007 game versus the Baltimore Ravens, amassing 4 catches for 99 yards.

- May 18, 2007: It was reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer that Henry allegedly failed a court-mandated drug test. The report showed that he had taken an opiate, but the result was later proven to be false. The failed drug test would have been the third violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. A third violation, per league rules, results in a one-year suspension. In addition to having his suspension increased to 24 games, he would have had to serve an 88 day jail sentence. As of May 23, 2007, the State of Kentucky has reported that Henry in fact did NOT fail a drug test, and that earlier reports to the contrary are erroneous.

- June 12, 2007: Henry allegedly assaulted a 16-year-old boy with teammate Reggie McNeal. The claims were later reported to be unfounded and Henry and McNeal have been exonerated.

- November 6, 2007: Henry allegedly assaulted a valet attendant at Newport on the Levee.

- December 3, 2007: Henry arrested for the second time in Orlando, Florida for violating his probation he was on from a January 30, 2006 arrest. On February 21, 2008 he was found not guilty. On February 26, 2008, a motion to terminate probation in Orange County, Florida was denied.

- March 31, 2008: Henry was alleged to have punched a man named Gregory Meyer, 18, and thrown a beer bottle through the window of his car. Henry claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and also that he thought it was somebody else that owed him money. Henry was waived by the Bengals a day after this arrest and was then forced to serve a house arrest sentence.