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Erin Henderson, out of rehab, says turned life around and wants another NFL shot
Erin Henderson had a young son, a wife, and two DUI arrests in less than two months.
He also had a NFL career, but that was on the edge of falling apart. After the second arrest he was out of a job. Even though he was coming off his best season as the Vikings' middle linebacker, with 112 tackle, four sacks and two interceptions (all career highs), the team cut him after the arrests. He had a problem with drinking and marijuana.
Here's where the story turns good, hopefully. Henderson checked into rehab, and told USA Today's Tom Pelissero in a great piece that he has turned his life around and wants a second NFL chance. Henderson told TMZ he "cannot be more grateful" for the arrests, and from the sounds of it, it was probably a blessing in disguise.
"There would be times where I would come to practice hung over," Henderson told USA Today. "Never just fresh off of drinking coming into practice. But I might have had a rough night the night before, and I'd be in front of the huddle calling plays. And everybody would know that I had been out drinking the night before.
"Of course, that affects the ability to go out there and perform and be the best that you can be. But I'd been doing it for so long and it's something that I had gotten used to."
Henderson should get a second shot. He's just 27 years old, although teams will ask him a lot of questions about his life changes, and he still faces nine charges from the two arrests, on Nov. 19 and Jan. 1, including four counts of DUI and two counts of drug possession. The NFL office will have something to say about that, presumably. But he is saying the right things. He talked in the USA Today story about being more present with his son, who turns 3 this week. He said he has found religion, especially after a rehab visit from former Vikings teammate Greg Jennings.
There have been countless stories of players having substance abuse issues, and not doing anything about it until their football careers were long gone. It seems like Henderson has fixed his life before it's too late.
"That's one of the things I'm most curious about — what happens when I can remove a lot of my off-field issues and just play with a clear mind and actually enjoy the game like I used to?" Henderson said. "I like to call myself a recovering alcoholic. I understand it's an ongoing battle. It's a lifelong thing. Anybody that's dealt with me, anybody in the Vikings organization, know that the things that transpired aren't me. That was a different person that had taken over my body, pretty much."
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is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
