The Henry Era Coming to a Close

The appeal hearing for Broncos running back Travis Henry is scheduled for this Friday, November 16. As we all know, Henry is appealing a potential one-year suspension from the NFL for testing positive for marijuana for a third time in his NFL career. News broke yesterday that Henry passed team-administered polygraph and hair follicle tests. Coach Mike Shanahan has even given Henry his full support. The problem with these tests is that they aren’t admissible as evidence for Henry’s case. To put it bluntly (no pun intended), and to the dismay of fantasy footballers everywhere, this looks like the end of the Travis Henry era in Denver.

The signing of Henry was among the biggest of many Broncos offseason moves. Many, including yours truly, anticipated a performance of over 1,500 rushing yards for Henry, the fifth running back in as many years to be declared “The Guy” heading into a Broncos season. While his character issues were well-documented at the time, Henry had stayed clean for nearly two years, and excitedly described “goosebumps” at the thought of the opportunity to run behind the Broncos vaunted offensive line. To say no one saw this coming would be hyperbole, but it had certainly seemed that Henry’s toking days were behind him.

When news broke, now over one month ago, that Henry had tested positive and was suing the NFL to withhold his B Sample, the cries for Henry’s release were deafening. Since the news broke, Henry has missed two games due to injury and has not played at the same level he did weeks 1-4. Will he ever play a Broncos snap again? The bigger question — do the Broncos need him to?

Selvin Young‘s dominant performance Sunday in Kansas City had a lot of Denver fans reminiscing about the young Terrell Davis in the years before the Super Bowls. Young put this Broncos offense on his shoulders and carried them to victory. A victory, in Arrowhead, that these Denver Broncos had only enjoyed twice in nine seasons. This against a very much improving Chiefs defense, which at the time ranked 14th in the league against the run.

Fans are quick to forget that Travis Henry was looking like a dominant runner at the beginning of the season too, averaging at least 4.9 yards per carry in 3 of his first 4 games. Injuries have slowed him and sidelined him; he’s rarely finished an entire NFL year healthy in his career, and since his knee and ankle injuries he’s been averaging closer to 3 yards per carry. To say that we can move on without Henry wouldn’t be fair – he is a talented runner, a perfect fit in our system, and in my mind there is absolutely nothing wrong with having two high-caliber runners on your roster.

All that being said, it’s time to bid farewell to Henry. As a fan of the team, I’m tired of feeling embarrassment over Henry’s poor decisions – whether it involves illegal drugs (secondhand smoke or not, it makes no difference to me) or failing in child support or anything else, it’s time for these Broncos to move on without this distraction. The club will wait for the league to rule on Henry’s case; Henry is still entitled to several million dollars in bonus money from his contract if he were to win his appeal. It is almost certain that he won’t, but until then it is financially prudent that the Broncos keep him on the roster.

Although Shanahan has publicly given Henry his support, I doubt this means he would keep Henry on the team after a one-year suspension. When a player is suspended from the NFL, they are usually banned from team facilities and meetings. Will the coaching staff be patient enough to wait until Week 11 or 12 of next year, trusting that Henry is keeping up on his conditioning? It’s not entirely unlikely, since Shanahan has already given Henry his support, but it’s still very improbable.

If things go as expected, and Henry loses his appeal, his suspension would begin immediately following the ruling (anticipated some time next week). I expect it wouldn’t be long before the Broncos release Henry. It’s a shame and a disappointment that he went down that road, but I won’t be shedding any tears. I’m more than willing to embrace our future with Selvin Young, Andre Hall, and whomever else the coaching staff sees fit. I’m ready to close the door on the Travis Henry Era in Denver.

• Shanahan Belives Henry Will Win Appeal [BroncoTalk]
• Henry Gives Denver a New Dimension [Fox Sports]
• Young Brings Back Memories of Davis [Rocky Mountain News]
• Travis Henry is the New Shawn Kemp [The Big Lead]