Young, Black, and Stupid

Bengals' Henry Charged With Assault

By TERRY KINNEY – 1 hour ago

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry surrendered to police after being accused of punching an 18-year-old man in the face and breaking his car window with a beer bottle.

Henry was being held in the Hamilton County jail pending a court appearance Thursday after being charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal damaging. A warrant for the arrest of the 24-year-old Henry was issued Wednesday and he surrendered, a police spokesman said.

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.

Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said the team is aware of the charges but declined comment.

The player's agent, Marvin Frazier, said Henry gave him a different version of events but declined to elaborate.

"I was told it didn't happen that way," Frazier said.

Court records don't indicate that Henry has hired an attorney in the new case.

According to a statement filed with Hamilton County authorities, Henry was identified by Gregory Meyer, whose hometown was not listed, and an eyewitness. The eyewitness claimed Henry punched Meyer on Monday, causing "visible injury." Henry then threw a beer bottle at Meyer's car, breaking the rear passenger window, according to the affidavit.

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 in fines and court costs, according to the Hamilton County Municipal Court records.

Henry also pleaded guilty to letting minors drink alcohol in a hotel room he had rented in 2006. He served two days in a northern Kentucky jail.

Following his NFL suspension, Henry caught 21 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns.

Another case of a professional athlete throwing his life away by making bad choices. If this was Mr. Henry's first offense, the League, the Bengals, and the American public would probably give him a break. The Bengals severed all ties today by cutting Mr. Henry.



Chris Henry's legal troubles:

1. December 15, 2005 - Chris Henry was pulled over in Northern Kentucky for speeding and marijuana was found in his shoes. He was also driving without a valid driver's license, and without auto insurance. On January 30, 2006, he was arrested in Orlando for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was reported to have been wearing his Number 15 Bengals jersey at the time of his arrest. Henry pleaded guilty in both cases and avoided jail time in both cases.

• May 4, 2006 - Cincinnati media reported that Henry is being investigated by Covington police in connection with a sex crime, which allegedly occurred in a hotel room in Covington, Kentucky early on 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 now 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 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 by Ohio law. These charges have since been dismissed as it was proven that the breathalyzer used to test Henry at the scene was faulty.

• September 25, 2006 in the early morning, Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was pulled over for a DUI. The truck Thurman was driving belonged to rookie Reggie McNeal. Neither McNeal nor Chris Henry were charged with any wrongdoing by authorities, however, Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis benched Henry for the Bengals loss 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 Buccaneers and their October 22, 2006 game against the Carolina Panthers.

• January 25, 2007 - Henry pleaded guilty to charges of providing alcohol to minors, an incident that occurred at a hotel in the spring on 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 has since been allowed to begin practicing fully with the Cincinnati Bengals by NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. His suspension was lifted and he played in the November 11, game versus the Baltimore Ravens, amassing 4 catches for 99 yards.

• May 18, 2007 - Henry allegedly failed a court-mandated drug test, where a field tested resulted in a false positive for taking an opiate, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. 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.

• April 2, 2008 - Henry was charged with misdemeanor assault and property damage. Henry allegedly threw a bottle shattering the victim's car window and punched him in the face, however Henry said it was a case of mistaken identity. Henry was waived by the Bengals a day after this arrest.