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Substance-abuse violation threatens Henry's NFL future

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 12, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Travis Henry wasted what Broncos coach Mike Shanahan had called a "second chance" when the team released him June 2.

Now, his NFL career teeters on the brink after league sources confirmed Friday that Henry, now a free agent who can sign with any team, faces a year suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy in the weeks before the Broncos cut him.

Henry didn't return calls Friday, and his agent, Hadley Engelhard, did not respond to a message.

Shanahan couldn't be reached for comment, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league would have no comment.

Henry has yet to be punished formally by the league and has the ability to appeal any positive test. The appeals process, if the player elects to follow through, often takes a few weeks before a hearing can be scheduled.

Henry had won an appeal hearing with the NFL in December regarding what had been characterized as a positive drug test. But as part of the outcome, the league informed Henry -- he had been suspended for four games in 2005 while with the Tennessee Titans for violating the policy -- that he would remain in the program and was subject to drug testing.

That meant Henry could be tested as many as 10 times a month. A missed test in the program is considered the same as a positive test.

Shanahan had been one of Henry's most vocal supporters during the dispute with the NFL and even was fined $25,000 by the league for some remarks he made in the player's defense.

But Shanahan released the running back without meeting with him, offering then that "he's an excellent running back, but to do the things, (to) go where we want to go, everybody's got to be going in the right direction. (He's) just too inconsistent as a person, and if you're inconsistent as a person, you're usually not going to win championships."

Comments

  • July 12, 2008

    8:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    hdfresh writes:

    Travis Henry is the next Ricky Williams.

  • July 12, 2008

    9:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MarcoPolo writes:

    NFL Career? Seems more like Day Care is his next logical choice.

  • July 12, 2008

    10:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmmark217 writes:

    Sweet, Good for Travis. If he fathers his 10th child out of wedlock, he'll win the Trifecta. What a LOSER.

  • July 13, 2008

    9:35 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    fastnloose writes:

    hakj,I'm willing to bet several people have reached out to him thru out the years.Sometimes an idiot is just a simple idiot.I can't believe as high profile profession he is in,that counseling has not been offered several times.

  • July 14, 2008

    10:44 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    StardomBaLLa24 writes:

    y does he have 2 be so stupid?! coulda been great. shouldve got somethin 4 him though-anythin! well, i hope nobody else talented gets released cuz they r doing stupid **** (MARSHAL)!

  • July 15, 2008

    5:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    barryvictor writes:

    Go Kansas City???? RickyLee, me thinks you're spending to much time in those steak houses, bud...but, hire Travis...ya'll need a running back!