Chris Henry

Cincinnati Bengals players and coaches are traveling to Louisiana to say final farewells to their former teammate wide receiver Chris Henry. Chris Henry, 26, died Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, from serious head injuries after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during a domestic dispute with his fiancée, Loleini Tonga on Wednesday in Charlotte. Henry was drafted by the Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Chris Henry’s funeral will be held at the Alario Center in Westwego, New Orleans. On Tuesday there will be a two hour public viewing, followed by the funeral service for Henry. Center Kyle Cook said,

“It’s something we want to do. I’m sure that even if the team didn’t charter a plane, we would still go. That’s one of our guys.”

Fellow lineman Bobbie Williams said,

“It will put all our hearts to ease a little bit. It will kind of be like a farewell to the physical (part of Henry’s life), but Chris will always be with us in our hearts. We’ll get to see him off … (But, in a spiritual way) ‘15′ will still be with us.”

On Tuesday morning the Bengals chartered a flight to New Orleans to attend the funeral service for Henry. Players from other teams, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive Director DeMaurice Smith expected to attend the services. Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and Roger Goodell are expected to deliver eulogies.