Tragedy for what? That his hapless Cincinnati Bengals don't have a wide receiver? This isn't the first time, as they have put him on waivers and given him his release before, so why is it different now?
Maybe because he is now dead, and in death, people get eulogized for being a better person than they really were in life. That's my contention.
Well, that’s bullshit…
This kid was only 26 years old, making millions of dollars playing a game he loved, and he couldn't play within life’s rules, so ultimately it cost him his life.
My question is: Who is to blame? Is it this kid's fault for being a total fuck-up, is it his agent's fault for not getting to him to a shrink early enough, is it his coach's fault for tolerating it all? We see too much of this favouritism just because the athlete is so good at what they do, that they think the rest of life will deal with their shortcomings.
Well now, because of this idiot's major malfunctions, he has 3 young children that are going to have to grow up without a dad in their lives because he wouldn't fit into society the way we all have to. That's no longer his problem, it's probably the thing he most loved in this world- His kid's; it's their problem now.
Then I see other idiots like Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson crying like a baby over his degenerate friend's death. And this just solidifies what the saying goes, that "misery loves company" These 2 guys on the same team were probably like the blind leading the blind.
So they deserve each other.
I know that it's not proper to step on a man's grave, but I'm tired of some person who doesn't play nicely with others in the sandbox in life, get a better sports write-up in death.
Grow a set, and tell it like it is. Look Chris Henry’s record up; it speaks volumes about the man's character, and his mindset. The fact that he kept getting away with all of these raps probably made him feel invincible and that's probably why he's now dead. Maybe his life could've been spared if someone would've been able to talk some sense to this man.
I think if I were an owner of a professional sports club, and I was going to sign athletes to contracts and pay them millions of dollars, that I would demand that the contract states that the player must employ a "life coach" to teach them balance in life. You give a ghetto kid who never saw 50 bucks in his life, and now you sign him to a million dollar deal? Well, that is just not going to end up nicely, I can tell you that. If you make millions, you need a life coach to help you avoid the pitfalls like that kind of money will dictate.
Maybe Chris Henry just didn't get it... Maybe he was just too troubled to look at himself in the mirror and realize that he was wrong, and get some help. But it's too late for that right now. He was on his way out, and now he's checked his way out. I hope the afterlife is a place that will null and void a bad past. God knows I'm in need of forgiveness too...
But then again, I don't have the privilege to play a sport I love and make millions doing it to enhance the decisions I can make in my life to better it...
Much of what you have written is what plagues the modern day NFL and the plight of paying rookies "more money than they can spend" over established veterans ESPECIALLY before they have proven themselves. All of this is the reason for the advent of the rookie symposium. Don't forget many of these players have been enabled everywhere they have ever been regardless of of background or upbringing. They demonstrate talent as early as Pop Warner and from there people are looking to ride the gravy train. Case in point, Michael Crabtree 49ers WR. This all being said, you are wrong when it comes to Chris Henry, because although his case has all the makings of the typical case you hear time and time again Henry wasn't shot, OD, or killed driving too fast fleeing the cops. Henry was killed after a domestic dispute with his fiancee in a very tragic manner. Here is a player who was embracing what some may call his third or fourth chance and was really making a go of it. The tears I think you saw are real because everyone from someone like Ochocinco to the club owner saw here was someone turning it around making amends; for this children, for his fiancee, for his life. This is what makes it a tragedy and what gives me the belief that these comments are applicable to the rule. This was the exception.
ReplyDeleteI think Chuck is right on with this. People deserve second chances. But when a privileged person gets 3rd and 4th chances, where do you draw the line. He was given his chances, and his time line ran out, just as it will run out on all of us. He just chose his to be faster than the average person
ReplyDeleteWho said Chris Henry was "priviledged"? again the poster is off the mark and IMHO Chuck is laying it on thick. When Heath Ledger died, people "felt sorry for the guy" when he was a known drug addict...I think race is a factor in lives of celebs.
ReplyDeleteAll of you including Chuck are clearly and blatantly choosing to ignore the fact that HE WAS turning his life around both on and off the field. I am not defending the fact that he was on his 4th and 5th opportunities (4 or 5 more than deserved for most of us) or that he was a privileged individual abusing the fact that he has the ability to make millions playing a game but this is a tragedy. He was making his attempts to right his path and to die like this is really a shame. It is rare to see someone right themselves like this and to have him die when he clearly was on this path is terrible.
ReplyDeleteCall me jaded, but I've seen and had too many experiences with people "turning their life around" and having relapses. Everyone has them. This guy seems no different, because obviously he has had many relapses of "turning his life around"
ReplyDeleteLife is a battle of these "turning your life around" moments and some of us never learn. Unfortunately for Henry, this is a lesson that he did not learn, and it cut his life short.