Henry: Meeting `went pretty good'

Chris Henry had his day in court this afternoon with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and came away feeling good about the experience.

“It went pretty good, to have the chance to meet the commissioner face to face,” Henry told The Enquirer of the meeting, a precursor to likely discipline for the wide receiver’s repeated legal brushes as an NFL player.

“I just wanted to explain my situation to the commissioner and move on. I told him I was learning from my mistakes and how to handle myself in a better manner.”

The wide perception is Goodell would suspend Henry for eight games to one whole season. Goodell said last week at the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix that he would announce his decision within 10 days of the meeting.

Henry and his former college teammate at West Virginia, Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, met separately with Goodell.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Henry said. “I can’t predict what will happen, hopefully nothing.”
Henry was headed back to Cincinnati to participate in the Bengals’ offseason strength and conditioning program.

“The commissioner was wonderful,” said Marvin Frazier, Henry’s New Jersey-based agent. “Chris got his chance to answer questions. Chris apologized. He said he knew he had embarrassed himself, the Bengals, his coaches, the fans of Cincinnati and Kentucky.”

The meeting, held at an alternate site in New York, also was attended by two additional NFL officials and a representative of the NFL Players Association.

Henry and Jones are among the NFL’s repeat offenders and could be the first suspended under the league’s new personal conduct policy.

Henry was arrested four times from December 2005 through June 2006. Goodell suspended Henry for two games during the 2006 season.

Jones has had 10 encounters with police and was arrested five times since he was drafted in 2005, the same weekend as Henry.

The Bengals have no comment on Henry’s situation because it is a league matter. The league had no comment.

“The decision of a suspension would be announced as soon as possible, so the team could plan,” AFC Information Manager Steve Alic said.

Goodell talked at length last week about the need for a new conduct policy to curb the rash of off-field incidents involving players that could tarnish the league’s image.

“We're not trying to send a signal here, we're not trying to make an example of people,'' Goodell said in Phoenix. “We're trying to do what's necessary to protect the integrity of the (NFL). That's our objective.”

The meetings will give Goodell “more information, more facts so that I can make a better decision,” he said. “I look at this as a step in the process to make sure we're making the smart decision for the player, for the NFL and for the team.”