Henry has probation hearing

A judge in Orlando, Fla., this afternoon ruled that Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry did not violate terms of his two-year probation there, stemming from a weapons charge there in January 2006.

The State of Florida Department of Corrections said that Henry had committed eight violations, including failure to complete all 100 hours of community service and to apply for a travel permit to attend training camp in Georgetown, Ky., in July and August. Henry's residence is in Kenton County.

Judge Bob LeBlanc of Orange County Circuit Court gave Henry two weeks to complete the two-and-one-half missing hours of community service time. The judge said the whole point of probation is so officials can track the offender. The judge said officials know where Henry is when they see him on Monday Night Football. LeBlanc also modified the probation terms so that Henry does not need to apply for a travel permit if it relates to his employment as an NFL player.

Prosecutors said Henry should not receive special treatment because of his celebrity status and hinted that they wanted him to serve jail time. Henry could have been put in jail for up to five years if he had been found to be in violation.

In April, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Henry for eight games because he violated the league's personal conduct policy.

With the league operating under an unofficial zero tolerance policy for off-field incidents, Henry can not be helping himself if he indeed violated terms of his probation in Florida. Henry must re-apply for reinstatement before he could earn the right to play again.

He had hoped to have his suspension reduced to four games.

Henry played with the Bengals in the preseason and, playing against overmatched defensive backs in the second half of the four exhibition games, led the Bengals in all major receiving categories. He had 14 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns.