Former Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills running back Travis Henry, a former Pro-Bowler, 2-time 1000 yard rusher, All-SEC performer at Tennessee and Mr. Florida Football at Frostproof High school was arrested by the DEA in Colorado for allegedly trafficking multiple kilograms of cocaine. If convicted as charged, he now faces 10 years to life in prison and a $4 million fine.
Henry has also fathered 9 children with 9 different women, was suspended in August for one year by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and was caught writing bad checks for expensive jewelry in Tennessee.
Henry is just one of an ever-increasing number of professional athletes whose great talents have been upstaged only by their rap-sheets. These guys have it all, money, fame, talent and unrelenting athleticism, yet they throw it all away. I’m all-for second chances in life. People make mistakes and when they pay for them they should be rewarded when they redeem themselves, but when you see a case such as Henry’s, it makes you wonder if professional sports leagues are doing enough to take care of these problems.
Yes, there are punitive measures, but what about counseling these young players when they enter the league? Or setting a cap on how much they can earn straight out of college? Or for that matter making them stay in college until they earn a degree?
It’s not enough to punish these players. They should recieve treatment for addiction and be forced to forfeit their salaries. The league should make each player earn their degree, then go through counseling upon being drafted. They should also set lower maximums on salaries for the first three seasons of a player’s career so they not only have to establish themselves on the field, but in the community.
But then again, all you have to do is look at the horrible pension plans the NFL provides its former players and you have all the evidence you need of how much they care. All the NFL really cares about is making money, and that will never change. But if they really want to make money, it’s in their best interest to take a little more stock in their players because all the PR in the world can’t put a positive spin on the drastically increasing list of player with long rap-sheets.
