I know this isn't the headline of the century but this is big news in the NFL because of this kid's upside. Sure, he's a knucklehead but he won't be unemployed for long, that's for sure. A change of scenery might do him good and turn him around. He's got #1 wideout potential. All of this a moot point if the NFL suspends him, however.
The Cincinnati Bengals, deciding they have had enough of wide receiver Chris Henry's run-ins with the law, released him on Thursday, hours after he surrendered to police to face a possible assault charge.
"Chris Henry has forfeited his opportunity to pursue a career with the Bengals. His conduct can no longer be tolerated," Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement.
Henry, arrested five times since December 2005, was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first half of last season for repeatedly violating the league's conduct policy.
"The Bengals tried for an extended period of time to support Chris and his potentially bright career. We had hoped to guide him toward an appropriate standard of personal responsibility that this community would support and that would allow him to play in the NFL," Brown said. "We acknowledge those fans who had concerns about Chris; at the same time we tried to help a young man.
"But those efforts end today, as we move on with what is best for our team."
Henry has had a string of problems with police. He most recently was in court last week after being ticketed for driving with expired Kentucky license plates. He paid $149, according to the Hamilton County Municipal Court records.
Henry also pleaded guilty to letting minors drink alcohol in a hotel room he had rented. He served two days in a northern Kentucky jail.