Henry Passes Drug Test?

[The PatternMaster]

Apparantely Mr. Patrick went to Mason High, were he is in the schools athletic hall of fame, btw is there any other type of hof besides for athletics?

Is there like a drama club hof or a chess club hof, just wondering?

Sounds he was quite the hot shot playing hoops and baseball, I heard there was a recruiting scandal at Eastern Kentucky that forced him to transfer so the program wouldn't be put on sactions from the NCAA. Something about Patrick receiving coney's from Skyline from a middle class booster, you know how Eastern Kentucky loves their hoop program.

[HairOnFire]

Patrick has spoken often about being a Bengal fan for most of his life until finally abandoning them during the dark times. His reasons for jumping ship were twofold. First, as a high profile member of ESPN he claimed that it wasn't appropriate to be identified as a fan of any professional team. Second, he felt that after Paul Brown died the Bengals quickly became a joke that he no longer wanted any part of. (I've got no problem with that.)

If I get a chance I'll pass along a recap of whatever Marvin says on Patrick's show.

BTW, yesterday I heard Colin Cowherd joking compare Bengal fans to single guys pacing back and forth in the hallway, nervously awaiting the results of their girlfriends pregnancy test. The punchline, such as it is, was built around our girlfriend, Chris Henry, locked safely away in the bathroom, peeing on the test strip.

[oldschooler]

Henry cleared

By GEOFF HOBSON

May 23, 2007

12:35 p.m.

After being falsely accused of failing a drug test that could have ended his NFL career, Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was cleared Wednesday by the state of Kentucky.

On Monday, the Kenton County prosecutor’s office almost immediately backed off public statements that Henry had failed a drug test that would have violated his probation and sent him to jail for 88 days.

But on Wednesday the state of Kentucky released the following statement.

“This information did not come from the state Division of Probation & Parole. Repeated referrals to our office by the Kenton County Attorney’s office were wrong. The Kenton County Attorney’s Office has no jurisdiction in our probation supervision of Henry. Our office did, however, receive results of a drug test conducted on Henry today, and those results were negative.”

Ken Easterling, the assistant Kenton County prosecutor, told The Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this week that Henry gave two urine samples at separate locations for probation stemming from arrests in Kenton County and Orange County, Fla.

Easterling has told the media that that Kenton County was waiting on a second analysis to confirm the first.

Those familiar with drug tests say “a false positive,” on an initial screening can come from an array of factors ranging from age of the test kit to over-the-counter drugs, and that it doesn’t mean there is any amount of a prohibited substance.

Henry’s local lawyer, Robert Lotz, has been quoted in the last hour by Cincinnati television station Channel 5 as saying his client is owed an apology.

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6064

[Jet23]

How bad does Edmondson's life suck right now?

[DesperateDerelict]

How bad does Edmondson's life suck right now?

I hope it gets worse - his actions caused harm and broke several laws - I truly hope the a$$clown gets disbarred and has all future income garnished. What an idiot!

[jjakq27]

Here is a possible "fact" to consider:the f*****g prosecutor from Redneck County,Kentucky....

Yep, you're about as ignorant as they come.

I guess living in VA you're very familiar with Kenton County, right?

Thanks for the insult. That wasnt even my quote. Better check your facts first and learn how to use the edit function first.

Hrod382...did you read this? You've got the wrong ignorant person here!

[jjakq27]

Also I am drawing a blank on examples of Cincy football players being unfairly targeted by police. I must be getting old.....

Perhaps you are. It couldn't have been more than a month or two since an article was posted comparing the staggering level of hatred directed at Chris Henry to Cincy's quick embrace of a white baseball player with a long history of serious drug abuse and petty theft. And for the record, that article also included a story of an ex-Bengal player who complained that while playing for the Bengals he had been harrassed for doing little more than DWB. (Driving while black.)

In addition, after Tremain Mack was arrested several years ago several Bengal players spoke out about their concerns that Bengal players in general were being targeted by the police, and black players specifically. Those concerns were later repeated when a film crew showed Mack driving with a suspended license. Granted, that's breaking the law, but once again several Bengal players responded by claiming quite rightly that there would have been no camera crew, or story to report, if Mack wasn't a Bengal.

Finally, there was a quote just last week from a prosecutor defending the arrest of AJ Nicholson where he mentions that not only had the police been called to his residence several times previously, but had apparently been staking out the home in the hopes of catching Nicholson driving on a suspended license. Frankly, there may or may not be anything wrong with that, but I think you've got to wonder if the police don't have better things to do.

Simply put, one thing you don't have to wonder about is if the police would lavish this type of attention on poor shmucks like you and I. Because when we get arrested there's no media attention given to our turn signal violations, no headlines written about the careless way we drive without buckling up, no film footage of us leaving our jobs, no written transcripts published of the things we say to the police, no stakeouts of our homes on the off chance we might go for a drive, and no chance that a prosecutor will willingly leak the RUMORED results of any drug test the court demands we take.

So maybe, just maybe, you should think of the above examples the next time you feel compelled to point out that football players are unfairly held to a lower standard of compliance than someone being paid to build the trigger mechanism of an F-16 fighter jet.

Chris Henry has been around here alot longer than Josh Hamilton has. People are tired of Henry and maybe he has become the poster child for the Bengals off-field problems. Meanwhile Hamilton is a feel-good story for this season but I am sure if Hamilton f**ks up people will be jumping off of his wagon pretty quickly. But I do see a few differences between the two also. First Hamilton is white and Henry is not. That is still an issue in this city. And Hamilton is saying and apparently doing the right things while Henry says nothing, shows no signs of contrition and walks a fine line everyday. Hamilton had gotten off to an amazing start for a guy that never played in the majors before while Henry will always be in Chad and TJ's shadow here.

And I am sure Bengals players aren't the only ones harrassed for DWB. It happens everyday, all the time and in every neighborhood. That doesn't make it right but it happens. I assume you are talking about the same Tremain Mack that mistook the I-75 bridge for a Rest Area when he decided to take a nap in his car there after a hard night of drinking. I still can't figure out why the cops arrested him.

I don't specifically remember the story about the film crew with Mack but the priviledge of playing in the NFL should far outweigh any hassles with the media. How many doors are opened for these guys because they are Bengals players? We never hear about that when things are going well.

Stay out of trouble and you probably will be alright. Keep f**king up and you are fair game as far as I am concerned. I mean when is the last time you have heard anything bad uttered about Willie Anderson or Rudi Johnson? They are good people plain and simple. In fact we don't hear enough about what these guys do. I also remember watching stories of city or county workers being spied on by the local media because they were working about 4 hours a day. Do something wrong and people will take notice whether you are an athelete or not.

Trying to nab guys on minor charges seems pretty lame but remember they got Al Capone for tax evasion. How did they know about Nicholson's license anyway? Did he do something wrong prior to that? Same as above. Stay out of trouble. And in case you hadn't heard he is in jail in Florida for a probation violation.

As I stated before, being in the NFL or any sport is a priviledge. Substitute the word defribrillator assembler or heart monitor assembler or FAA mechanic or car maker or drug manufacturer or doctor or nurse for trigger maker. Chris Henry is playing a game. These guys are dealing with people's lives. I think there is no comparison there at all.

So the next time I will probably think of Hoosier Cat's sentiments from a few months back in your thread entitled "Thug Life..." Very well done I might add. Great job on the opening post. I enjoyed re-reading it.

Thug Life: Part XXXXIVV (Dec. 19)

http://forums.bengalszone.com/index.php?sh...=13721&st=0

(copy this link to your browser if it doesn't open)

"QUOTE(HairOnFire @ Dec 19 2006, 05:07 PM)

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I have a hard time getting my arms around the idea that Marvin doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt for taking the risks he's taken.

QUOTE(HoosierCat @ Dec 19 2006, 05:39 PM)

And at what point do you stop giving that benefit to him? It isn't just Odell. It's also Chris Henry. and Nicholson. And Rucker. And Brooks. Time and again a character risk blows up in the Bengals' faces...and time and again they take another one. So far Brooks is the only bomb that hasn't gone off, and he's the one who been here the least amount of time.

I mean, is there a specific number of arrests or suspensions that need to happen before you can officially quit giving the benefit of the doubt and say Marvin's pursuing a flawed strategy? How many years do they operate under the high-risk strategy without a noticeable defensive improvement before we're allowed to advocate a change of course? "

[HairOnFire]

First Hamilton is white and Henry is not. That is still an issue in this city. And Hamilton is saying and apparently doing the right things while Henry says nothing, shows no signs of contrition and walks a fine line everyday.

Henry has repeatedly apologized, and each time the reaction from most fans has been a deaf ear or a demand for more contrition and even more apologies....which might seem odd until you consider your first point. Race is still a major issue in many places, not just Cincy, and it's impact can be seen in many diverse ways, from the way a person can expect to be treated by the police or the judicial system, to how forgiving a fanbase might be.

And by the way, Hamilton has been very open about how great a struggle it is to remain clean and sober and has admitted the only reason his most recent attempt was successful is due to a demand from his wife that he carry absolutely no money. So props to Hamilton for finally coming to grips with how little control he has over his addictions, but I for one wouldn't be so quick to treat his actions like that of a suddenly responsible adult. More like an out of control manchild who can't be trusted with a $5 bill.

[HairOnFire]

As I stated before, being in the NFL or any sport is a priviledge.

Not really. That would only be true if the person in question was woefully underqualified and hadn't prepared himself to play in the NFL by standing out in college competition, physical drills, etc.

As to current incumbent proves, decades of alcohol and drug abuse doesn't exclude anyone from reaching the presidency, the most powerful and important job in our country...if not the entire world, so why should football players be held to a higher standard?

[HoosierCat]

As I stated before, being in the NFL or any sport is a priviledge.

Not really. That would only be true if the person in question was woefully underqualified and hadn't prepared himself to play in the NFL by standing out in college competition, physical drills, etc.

I'm not sure I follow the logic here. The fact that a player is prepared and qualified for the NFL doesn't make playing in it any less of a privilege. There are plenty of athletes who are prepared and qualified to play in the NFL, yet don't make the rosters.

As to current incumbent proves, decades of alcohol and drug abuse doesn't exclude anyone from reaching the presidency, the most powerful and important job in our country...if not the entire world, so why should football players be held to a higher standard?

I fully support random drug testing at the White House! Would probably explain a lot!

[JPW]

I fully support random drug testing at the White House! Would probably explain a lot!

Yea I am sure that it would.

Well ...

That is it would if it was still the Clinton White House.

[HairOnFire]

I fully support random drug testing at the White House! Would probably explain a lot!

Yea I am sure that it would.

Well ...

That is it would if it was still the Clinton White House.

True enough, but since it's currently the Bush administration let's start with an IQ test.

[HairOnFire]

I'm not sure I follow the logic here. The fact that a player is prepared and qualified for the NFL doesn't make playing in it any less of a privilege. There are plenty of athletes who are prepared and qualified to play in the NFL, yet don't make the rosters.

The vast majority of players who don't make rosters fail because there are other players who are better. And many of those superior players got to where they are by having worked harder. So no, I don't think it's fair to say that they're in the NFL due to privilege. They've earned it.

And if you wan't to argue that the NFL can exist with less talented players, well....yeah. But it's just as true to state that the NFL is what it's become precisely because it represents football being played on the highest level. Change that single factor and we're talking about the CFL, USFL, WFL, or any number of arena leagues.

Granted, a small minority of players don't earn roster spots because their character is considered so extreme or unstable that it's unlikely they could hold down any job for any length of time. And if that's what we're talking about then I've got less of a problem than many of you might think. But consider this...

Not more than 20 minutes ago I listened to ESPNRadio's "Duke" Davis opine that athletes are currently so out of control that no distinction should be made in the seriousness of the crimes they are charged with. Petty infraction or major crime should both be treated the same, as major crimes that earn maximum punishment. And the reason Davis gave for his extreme viewpoint? A holiday jet-ski accident that could have resulted in two deaths due to an athlete ignoring safety laws.

Isn't it amazing what our society demands of people who have jobs that are interesting, but completely meaningless?

[jjakq27]

priv·i·lege

1. a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.

2. a special right, immunity, or exemption granted to persons in authority or office to free them from certain obligations or liabilities: the privilege of a senator to speak in Congress without danger of a libel suit.

3. a grant to an individual, corporation, etc., of a special right or immunity, under certain conditions.

4. the principle or condition of enjoying special rights or immunities.

5. any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern constitutional government: We enjoy the privileges of a free people.

6. an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person: It's my privilege to be here.

7. Stock Exchange. an option to buy or sell stock at a stipulated price for a limited period of time, including puts, calls, spreads, and straddles. –verb (used with object)

8. to grant a privilege to.

9. to exempt (usually fol. by from).

10. to authorize or license (something otherwise forbidden).

[HairOnFire]

priv·i·lege

1. a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.

Well, since you took the time to put your preference in bold....let's take 'em one at a time.

A - Rights? Hoosier has repeatedly argued that nobody has a right to play in the NFL, and can easily be replaced by the next guy in line, or the guy after him, or the one after that. And so on and so on until presumably we all come home from our jobs doing whatever it is we do and upon entering our home we hear our own phone ringing. Perhaps its Roger calling? Are your Boy Scout credentials in order? Because if they are, well....you're covering kickoffs this Sunday.

More seriously, the NFL is a virtual monopoly that routinely tramples individual rights in ways that aren't possible or legal in most professions. For example, almost all of us get to chose who we'll work for, where we'll live, and if other options are available...how long we'll stay.

B - Immunity? Well, no. Not when the Kenton County prosecutor can admit to abusing the powers of his office in an attempt to end a players career. And not when any player can lose the ability to work in his profession based upon the random decision making & arbitrary moral judgements of Roger "Keenesaw Mountain" Goodell. And not when we're in a current climate where some fugtard can loudly opine over a nationally broadcast radio station that any crime an athlete is charged with should be considered a major transgression demanding the fullest punishment possible, presumably due to the athletes undeserved and mostly unwanted position as role models.

C - Benefits? Many football players are very well paid. Others, not so much. In fact, my own level of pay compares to that of the poorest paid players in the NFL, and unlike them I can continue earning the same fairly high level of pay for however long I want to work. The average career length of an NFL player is still just a tick over 4 years, right? Which is a great reminder of one of the benefits that come with an NFL career. That being, the very realistic chance that you'll attempt to get up after some play only to find that you've been horribly Kimo'd.

Plus, football players are athletes first, and entertainers second and it's not unusual for talented people working in those professions to make sums of money so large that untalented people find it extremely hard to justify. But if the untalented could replace the truly talented they very surely would, right? And there's the rub because MOST people can't do the job at all, and thus don't deserve the advantages that you have repeatedly insisted are a privilege instead of a reward for a persons own unique abilities and hard work.

[jjakq27]

You've said alot but I think you are still missing the point. So we should probably end it on that note.

[HairOnFire]

You've said alot but I think you are still missing the point. So we should probably end it on that note.

Fair enough. I accept your surrender.

[jjakq27]

You've said alot but I think you are still missing the point. So we should probably end it on that note.

Fair enough. I accept your surrender.

Continue to humor yourself if you must but I will never surrender to you.