Chris Henry

Bengals wide receiver who was the first active NFL player diagnosed with CTE after his death.

Christopher Henry (May 17, 1983 – December 17, 2009) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft.

Quick Facts

Position: Wide receiver
Born: 17 May 1983
Birthplace: Belle Chasse, Louisiana, U.S.
Died: 17 December 2009
Place of death: Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
High school: Belle Chasse (LA)
College: West Virginia (2002–2004)
Draft year: 2005

Lore & Background

Henry died on December 17, 2009, when he fell out the back of a moving truck after having a domestic dispute with his fiancée. An autopsy revealed that Henry had developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during his playing career due to repetitive hits to the head. Because CTE can only be definitively diagnosed in an autopsy and Henry was still active in the NFL when he died, Henry represented the first case where an active player had died and could be diagnosed with CTE.

Reader's Guide

Henry was born to Carolyn Lee and David Henry in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. He attended Belle Chasse High School where he was named New Orleans small schools offensive player of the year during his senior year. He enrolled at West Virginia University in 2002, spending his first season as a redshirt. In 2003, he earned Big East Conference freshman of the year and All-Big East second-team honors for catching 41 passes and gaining 1,006 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns.

He also became the second player in school history to record over 1,000 receiving yards in one season (behind David Saunders), and his 24.5 yards per reception are the third most in a season in school history. In 2004, Henry started seven games and caught 52 passes for 872 yards with 12 touchdowns. Henry was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He made his NFL debut on September 18, 2005, against the Minnesota Vikings.

In his rookie season, he amassed 31 receptions for 422 yards and six touchdowns. In his second season, Henry totaled 605 yards on 36 receptions for nine touchdowns. He was suspended for eight games in 2007 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Following his arrest in April 2008, Henry was waived by the Bengals.

He was re-signed to a two-year contract on August 18, 2008. Henry finished the 2008 season with 19 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He was placed on injured reserve in November 2009 after suffering a broken forearm.

Did You Know?

Henry's 1,878 career receiving yards is eighth most in school history.
His 93 receptions are the 14th most in school history.
His 22 touchdown receptions are second most in school history.
Henry's six career 100-yard receiving games is tied for third most in school history.