Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown and coach Marvin Lewis remembered Chris Henry today as a beloved member of their football family.
“Here at the Bengals, we knew Chris as a teammate and a close friend,” Brown said. “To us, he was a warm, pleasant and easygoing person. He was popular with the players, coaches and team management. This is a painful feeling, a tragedy, and we will miss him. “
The official statement released by the team acknowledged Henry’s run-ins with the law. But Brown said he viewed Henry, who died this morning after falling out the back of a pickup truck Wednesday following a domestic dispute with his fiancee, as a man who worked hard to better himself.
“People were surprised that we stood by Chris during his problems,” Brown said. “The reason was, we knew Chris to be different than his public persona. To the best of his ability, Chris reached out to the team, his friends and his family. Everyone tried to help, and sometimes it went awry. But Chris’ heart was always in the right place. He was a good person, and he was on the road to doing well in his football career.”
Lewis said that in 2009, in particular, Henry had been making positive changes in his life.
“We had seen Chris expand this year as both a person and on the field,” Lewis said. “He had grown and matured. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to Chris’ family and to everyone else who held him dear.”
The Bengals plan to honor Henry with helmet decals bearing his number 15.
