How the NFL Can Avoid Tragedies Like Today's

Our primary goal here isn't to pick on or attack people - though it might not look like it sometimes. No, for every problem, our goal is to find a solution... Yesterday, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry inexplicably jumped into the bed of a pickup truck his fiancee' was driving, and he fell out. He suffered massive injuries, and he passed away this morning. He was 26....

Yes, Henry did have have his problems in the past, but from most accounts he was straightening them all out. However, it's hard for a person to not have flashes of that old personality come out, and that's what appears to be the case, but thats just a guess. Here is the real issue - this is the second instance of a player dying in midseason in two years. Last year, Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was shot at his home in Miami. The common thread between the two? They were both on Injured Reserve, meaning they were both out for the season, and sent home.....

Now, we are all for personal responsibility, but this is the NFL we're talking about, where conduct codes, drug tests and Wunderlik scores are common. It seems a bit irresponsible for the teams to send a guy packing for the remainder of the year unsupervised. If they were at the complex, still attending meetings, training and being part of the team, Taylor and Henry would both be alive, right?

Yes, when the season is over, the teams should have no control over what the players do. No, I don't expect this to eliminate tragedies like this during the offseason - this is a business where violence and hitting are normal, the guys are aggressive. But, it doesn't seem too restrictive for a team to keep a guy in camp til season's end, rather than let things like this happen - again and again......

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