R.I.P. Chris Henry: 1983-2009

[Chi Dynasty12]

Still can't believe it

[PhilipNelsonFan]

I'll quote RealGM's finest, Jeff Risdon, because he voices feelings on the subject better than I myself could. I lack his inside information but share his general sentiment.

A lot of people have weighed in on the death of Chris Henry, and I've been asked several times about my thoughts. Deep breath. I feel terrible for his teammates and for the Bengals organization, who put up with years of his "one-man crime wave" but never turned their backs on him. That is a very tight locker room, and they rallied around changing their stripes. Henry lived that too, quitting what one teammate once told me was "daily heavy pot abuse" and finally learning to function in an adult society.

Yet I don't consider his death a tragedy. Without being there and seeing what exactly transpired, I do know this: nobody jumps into the back of a moving pickup truck with good intentions or with any regard for anyone but himself. I know this is a man who terrified his own teammates with his quiet demeanor and thug lifestyle. I am a firm believer in the laws of karma, and Henry had too many transgressions to ever overcome in this lifetime. It's not politically correct, but maybe it's for the best that Chris Henry left this life with so many people feeling so genuinely positive about him. You hear about situations like this all the time, where a knucklehead finally starts to get it right only to lose his life. I do find inspiration in that, seeing someone go out in a positive light after spending so much time in darkness.