Cincinnati Bengals Receiver Chris Henry Dies After Fall From Truck

Skip to main content Skip to navigation < > Bengals receiver Henry dies after fall from truckSlovenian siblings win gold in team ski jumping7hCarrick hails 'unbelievable' Sesko goal to earn drawManchester United3hPAFrank 'convinced' of Spurs stay amid Poch chantsTottenham Hotspur4hJames OlleyRosenior: Missed call undid Chelsea's dominanceChelsea4hAiman KhalidUFC begins to craft lineup for White House event3hBrett OkamotoLakers rule out LeBron, ending All-NBA run at 21Los Angeles Lakers5hDave McMenaminSB LX, halftime show fall shy of ratings recordsSeattle Seahawks3hMets' Lindor may need surgery; Soto to play LFNew York Mets7hJorge CastilloFull circle: Tigers sign Verlander to $13M dealDetroit Tigers8hWest Ham expose the limitations of Carrick's Man United squadManchester United2hRob DawsonHas time run out for Frank? Spurs' latest loss puts him in unprecedented dangerTottenham Hotspur4hJames OlleyCostly defeat at Sanfrecce leaves JDT's ACL Elite hopes in jeopardyJohor Darul Ta'zim14hGabriel TanLuka hasn't made the Lakers a title contender yet: Here's what we've seen in 365 daysDallas Mavericks15hKevin PeltonLooking for QB answers this NFL offseason? Good luck ... it's a bad year to need a new signal-callerHouston Texans16hBen SolakWelcome to the NFL offseason: What you need to know about key dates, biggest questions16hKevin SeifertLiverpool at a crossroads: Where has it gone wrong for Slot since Premier League title win?Liverpool18hBeth LindopRanked: The top 25 manager jobs in soccer, from best to worstBrazil16hRyan O'HanlonKlopp, Alonso, Guardiola: Predicting what happens to Europe's top managers this summerManchester United2dMark OgdenTransfer rumors, news: Man City eye move for Forest's AndersonManchester City5hESPNF1 2026 car launches: All pictures of new cars as full grid completed18hESPNMMA divisional rankings: Kyoji Horiguchi makes big leap into men's flyweight top 1014hBrett OkamotoNext season already? Our Way-Too-Early NFL Power Rankings stack all 32 teams for 2026Los Angeles Chargers2dNFL NationOffseason guide for every NFL team: Key free agents, draft outlook, priorities and predictionsLos Angeles Chargers2dNFL Nation, +6 MoreBarnwell: Five reasons the Seahawks beat the Patriots -- and why QB play didn't have to be the biggestSeattle Seahawks2dBill BarnwellWhy Drake Maye, Patriots could build a dynasty despite rough Super Bowl lossNew England Patriots2dJeremy FowlerBaseball is back! The stars, teams and themes we can't wait to see in spring trainingBoston Red Sox2dESPNMLB offseason grades: Tigers bring Verlander back to Detroit on one-year dealAtlanta Braves7hBradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield

• ESPN.com news services

Multiple AuthorsDec 17, 2009, 11:00 PM

• 
• Email
• Print

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry has died, one day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in what authorities described as a domestic dispute with his fiancée.

Henry was no stranger to trouble.

Indeed, his multiple arrests during a five-year NFL career were among the factors prompting the league to toughen its personal conduct policy.

But to hear his teammates tell it -- even the team's owner -- the Bengals receiver was determined to leave behind his troubled past and move ahead toward a bright future.

Tragically, his efforts were cut short.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the 26-year-old Henry died early Thursday, less than 18 hours after he fell off the back of a pickup truck on a curvy residential street about eight miles northwest of downtown Charlotte.

The cause of death was not immediately released.

Henry was away from the Bengals after suffering a season-ending broken forearm in a game last month.

"We knew him in a different way than his public persona," Bengals owner Mike Brown said. "He had worked through the troubles in his life and had finally seemingly reached the point where everything was going to blossom. And he was going to have the future we all wanted for him. It's painful to us. We feel it in our hearts, and we will miss him."

Bengals receiver Andre Caldwell said: "People thought he was a bad guy, but he had a big heart."

Police released few details about the investigation, other than homicide detectives were assigned to the case. Two 911 tapes released Thursday and witnesses provided some clues.

Neighbor Lee Hardy told WLWT-TV and The Cincinnati Enquirer that he was working in his yard when the truck left the driveway. Hardy said Henry was yelling that he needed to talk to the woman behind the wheel.

"He said, 'If you take off, I'm going to jump off the truck and kill myself,'" Hardy told the newspaper.

The first 911 tape was from an unidentified woman who said she was following a yellow pickup truck.

"It's got a black man on it with no shirt on, and he's got his arm in a cast and black pants on," she told a dispatcher. "He's beating on the back of this truck window. ... I don't know if he's trying to break in or something. It just looks crazy. It's a girl driving it."

Just over a minute later, an unidentified man called 911 and said he saw a man "laying in the road" and "definitely unconscious."

Police spokeswoman Rosalyn Harrington wouldn't say if the woman, whom police would not identify, was present at the scene when police arrived.

Henry and his 25-year-old fiancée, Loleini Tonga, who grew up in Charlotte and received a volleyball scholarship to North Carolina A&T, were raising three children. Tonga's MySpace page identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and featured a post from Tuesday talking about buying wedding rings.

"We are greatly saddened by today's tragic news about the loss of Chris Henry," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris' family, including his Bengals family."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said: "It's a very difficult thing with his loss and a young life and one that won't ever get to reach its full potential."

Police said the domestic dispute began Wednesday at a home about a half-mile away from where Henry was found. He had jumped into the bed of the pickup as his fiancée was driving away from the residence, and at some point when she was driving "came out of the back of the vehicle," authorities said.

Two women who lived nearby said Thursday they saw Tonga and the pickup at the scene when police arrived. Cheryl Hoffman said she came out with a blanket when she saw Henry wasn't wearing a shirt.

"When I got to where he was laying on the ground out there he was very unresponsive, laying flat on the ground," Hoffman said. "He was foaming at the mouth, and I was very worried what was happening then."

When players received word Henry had died, quarterback Carson Palmer called them together in the locker room and said they should dedicate the game and rest of the season to Henry and the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who died unexpectedly during the season.

The Bengals, who are in first place in the AFC Central, are in line to make the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years. They will wear a helmet sticker Sunday against San Diego to remember Henry, and Goodell requested clubs observe a moment of silence before each game.

"He was doing everything right," receiver Chad Ochocinco said.

Henry grew up south of New Orleans in the suburban community of Belle Chasse and soon dreamed of playing in the NFL. But after he was ejected from a game and suspended for another at West Virginia, the Bengals were the only team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit in 2005.

Selected in the third round, Henry played a vital role as a speedy, deep threat as Cincinnati reached the playoffs in his rookie season. But in the final month of the season he was arrested for marijuana possession.

It was the first of five arrests, and Henry and former Tennessee cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones became known as the league's two most trouble-bound players. Goodell suspended both in 2007 -- Jones for a full season, Henry for half of it -- as part of a toughening of the league's conduct policy.

After Henry was arrested for a fifth time following that season on an assault charge, Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard called Henry "a one-man crime wave." He was released by the Bengals the same day.

But Brown gave him a second chance, re-signing him before the 2008 season.

"I kind of felt like I dug myself out of the hole and started doing the right things," Henry said in an interview with The Associated Press as training camp opened this season. "People say, 'How you feeling now Chris? You doing all right?' I just tell them I'm blessed. That's why I got it."

A thigh injury slowed him early in the season, and he had 12 catches for 236 yards -- his 19.7-yard average per catch leads the team -- when he broke his left arm during a win over Baltimore, ending his season.

"My grandma always says you never question the man upstairs on decisions he makes," Ochocinco said. "Everyone makes mistakes, but I don't see how Chris was supposed to go already, especially when he was on the right path. Other than that, he's going to be missed."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.