Travis Henry


Travis Deion Henry is a former American football running back who played seven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Tennessee. He was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and also played for the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2002.

Early years

Henry was a Parade All-American and "Mr. Florida Football" as a running back at Frostproof Middle-Senior High School. As a senior for the Bulldogs football team, he rushed for 4,087 yards and 42 touchdowns in 14 games. His team was state runner-up that year, to the Union County Tigers. In addition to football, Henry played basketball and ran track.

College career

Henry attended the University of Tennessee from 1997 to 2000. While at Tennessee, he played college football under head coach Phillip Fulmer.

1997 season

Henry did not play much in his freshman season due to a very crowded and talented backfield, which contained future NFL running backs Jamal Lewis and Shawn Bryson. He recorded two rushes for four yards on the season.

1998 season

In his sophomore season, Henry was a member of the 1998 National Championship team. In the National Championship, which was the Fiesta Bowl, Henry had 19 rushes for 28 yards and one reception for nine yards. His contributions did expand in his sophomore year. On the season, he had 176 rushing attempts for 970 yards and four touchdowns in regular season play. In addition, he had four receptions for 31 yards in regular season play.

1999 season

In the 1999 season, Henry continued to share the backfield with fellow running back Jamal Lewis and collected 916 yards and eight touchdowns.

2000 season

In Henry's senior season, in which he rushed for 1,314 yards and 11 touchdowns, he was named first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and the Sporting News.
Henry holds the school records for yards rushing, rushing attempts, and 100-yard performances. He was nicknamed "Cheese" by his strength & conditioning coach for being as tough and strong as a block of government cheese.

Professional career

2001 NFL Draft

Henry was drafted in the second round with the 58th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He scored a 9 on the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test.

Buffalo Bills

With the Buffalo Bills, Henry became the fourth-leading rusher in franchise history, with 3,849 yards and 27 touchdowns with a 4.0 yards per carry average. Over time, he was passed up by Fred Jackson. He earned a Pro Bowl nomination in 2002 after he collected 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In 2004, Henry was injured for part of the year and lost his starting job to the Bills' 2003 first round pick, Willis McGahee. Henry refused to accept becoming McGahee's backup and demanded a trade. Buffalo conceded to his demand and traded him to the Tennessee Titans. Henry then became the backup to Chris Brown.

Tennessee Titans

In July 2005, Henry was dealt to the Tennessee Titans for a third round draft pick in 2006. Henry was suspended four games during the 2005 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
After playing backup to Chris Brown for his first season with the Titans, Henry secured the role of starter, and, in 2006, achieved his first 1,000 yard season since 2003. On December 3, 2006, Henry became the 100th running back in NFL history to rush for more than 5,000 career yards.
On Christmas Eve in 2006, Henry broke the 1,000 yard mark for the 2006 NFL season against his former team, the Buffalo Bills. Henry played a significant role in the Titans' win as he rushed for 135 yards total. This put Henry at 1,103 rushing yards for the season, with 1 game still remaining, despite being inactive for two games. He finished the 2006 NFL season with 1,211 yards rushing at 4.5 yards per carry. He got into the end zone seven times while only fumbling three times. In addition, he caught 22 passes for 179 yards, at an average of 8.1 yards per reception, giving him 1,282 all-purpose yards. Nevertheless, the Titans released him, which was seen as a cost-cutting move.

Denver Broncos

Not long after his release from the Titans, Henry signed with the Denver Broncos.
Henry led the NFL in rushing after the first four games of the 2007 season before injuries would keep him in and out of the lineup throughout the remainder of the season.
According to an article written by MyFOX Colorado, it was reported that Henry faced the possibility of being suspended for the remainder of the 2007 season for a positive marijuana test. At the time of the incident, both the Denver Broncos and the NFL refused to comment on the situation. Henry appealed the suspension and his case was taken to Federal courts, allowing him to play until a decision was made.
Following the breaking news of Henry's reported positive failure, Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan publicly supported Henry. This led to Shanahan being fined $25,000 by the NFL.
Henry won his appeal on December 4, 2007. Henry remained in the substance abuse program, but was not suspended. Henry stated the positive test result was due to second-hand smoke. Henry is reported as passing a lie detector test, as well as a hair follicle test regarding whether or not he smoked marijuana.
On February 21, 2008, Henry restructured his contract with the Broncos prior to his scheduled $6 million bonus to stay with the team. Henry had previously stated, "I want to make it right to the Broncos, the fans and myself," he said. "I want to be a Bronco and make it all right. I don't want to be anywhere else. I owe those people something for all that happened last year. I want to clear my name there. I'm so hungry to do right there."
On June 2, 2008, Henry was released from the Denver Broncos just one year into his five-year, $22.5 million deal. "We did not feel his commitment to the Broncos was enough to warrant a spot on this football team," said head coach Mike Shanahan in a prepared statement. "He's just too inconsistent as a person. I'm not going to get into details what he did do or didn't do. If you don't do the little things, obviously you can't count on somebody. So that's why he's released." At the time Henry was reported to be out of the country and had not yet participated in any Broncos off-season workouts.
On July 12, 2008, it was revealed that Henry had once again tested positive for marijuana and would be suspended for one year. The failed test was reportedly dated in May 2008, showing that he used marijuana five months after winning his appeal. The Broncos stated that the team was not aware of Henry's test results at the time he was released.

Suspension

On August 31, 2008, Henry was suspended for at least one year by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was reinstated by the NFL following his release from prison in August 2012.

Personal life

Henry was married once, at age 19, to a woman six years his senior; the marriage was later annulled. He was engaged in 2009, but no marriage has been reported as of January 2016. Henry has fathered at least 11 children by 10 different women.
Henry has had on-going problems making his child support payments to the mothers of nine of his children. He was arrested in Polk County, Florida in March 2009 and charged with failing to pay $16,600 in child support. His lawyer estimates that he is obligated to pay at least $170,001 per year in child support payments.

Drug trafficking arrest

On September 30, 2008, Henry was arrested by the DEA after allegedly being involved in a multi-kilogram cocaine transaction that occurred in Centennial, Colorado. Henry, portrayed by court documents "as the ruthless 'money guy' in a cocaine trafficking ring", faces ten years to life on federal drug trafficking charges. On March 31, 2009, Henry and prosecutors reached a plea agreement; however the filing does not state the charges that Henry intended to admit guilt.
A change-of-plea hearing was scheduled for April 16 by the judge. The plea deal consisted of Henry accepting a charge of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Aside from serving ten years to life in prison, Henry will have to pay $4 million in fines.
On July 15, 2009, Henry was sentenced to three years in federal prison for financing a cocaine trafficking operation.