An emotional speech from Chris Henry’s weeping fiancee capped a tearful funeral service on Tuesday as the American football receiver’s teammates and friends paid Henry a final tribute.
The 26-year-old Cincinnati Bengals standout died last Thursday, a day after suffering serious injuries after falling from the rear of a moving pickup truck during what police described as a domestic dispute with fiancee Loleini Tonga.
While police continue to investigate the incident that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, no charges have been filed in the death.
PHOTO: AFP
“Can’t nobody feel what I’m feeling right now,” Tonga said. “We loved each other very much. People say I helped change his life. No. He changed mine. We were supposed to get married in three months, but I’m going to wait until I see him again.”
Henry had been dropped from the Bengals after being arrested and suspended five times on charges such as drug and weapons possession, but Henry was given another chance and had made major changes in his life, raising three children with Tonga.
“His future as a husband and a father were important to him,” National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell said.
“He was a young man that struggled, made some decisions that he regretted, but he put himself on the right path. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud of him,” Goodell said.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis could only wonder what might have been had Lewis continued down the path as he had in recent years.
“It’s a bright story and one that didn’t get to get all the way to the end of it which is the most unfortunate part,” Lewis said. “We’ll miss Chris’ sparkling smile.”
Henry had 12 catches for 236 yards this season before suffering a broken left arm last month in a victory over Baltimore that ended his season.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS