Just over two years after the NFL lost Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor in a botched robbery attempt, it lost Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry the morning of December 17 to injuries that were suffered as the result of a domestic dispute.
It’s a tragic turn of events for a man who, after being arrested five times in a three year span, was turning his life around, according to players, coaches, and even the owner of the Bengals.
But what makes this even more tragic is the circumstances. Right now, domestic disputes are at the forefront of nearly every news program on television. Thursday morning, while Henry’s situation was the top story on the ESPN family of networks, the top story on NBC’s “The Today Show” continued to be the Tiger Woods-Elin Nordegren saga.
We’re reminded every day that no family is perfect, but it’s important to remember that sometimes there’s more at stake than a marriage or money. Sometimes there’s a life.
Henry was a man that was on the right path. Fellow Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ochocinco told ESPN, “He was doing everything right,” while wide receiver Andre Caldwell added, “People thought he was a bad guy, but he had a big heart.”
But the reportedly impending divorce of Woods and Nordegren casts a pall over a time that should be used for remembering Henry and how people can right their wrongs.
It’s sad how extra-marital “transgressions” overshadow the tragedy of life taken away. Indeed, the situation involving the Woods and Nordegren families is something that should never have to happen. But at its core, the situation is not as bleak as it seems. Woods is still the best golfer in the world by a long shot and because of his endorsement deals, doesn’t even need to golf to live a comfortable life. Nordegren comes from a prominent Swedish family and will net a huge sum of money if the couple does indeed divorce. As for their two children, both families are set up to accommodate them.
Granted, everything could have turned out differently if Woods hadn’t crashed his car that November morning or if Henry hadn’t fallen out of the back of his fiancé’s pickup truck. But in the end, one man is alive, and one man is dead.
Henry, like Taylor, needs to be remembered for the changes he was making in his life to be a better person. While the mistakes he made are there forever, the positives need to be focused on. What else can be done to help not just NFL players, but people in general who find themselves in the same situation as Henry?
The next time Woods comes on television, turn it off and pray for Henry. Pray for his family. Pray for his fiancé. Pray for the three children he was raising. And pray for Woods and Nordegren. While they make for juicy gossip, a life and a family need prayers.
Daniel Gallen can be reached for comment at [email protected].