He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft.

An autopsy revealed that Henry had developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) during his playing career due to repetitive hits to the head.

After catching three passes in a 30–18 loss to Florida State in the 2005 Gator Bowl, Henry announced that he would enter the 2005 NFL draft.

President Mike Brown explained that Henry had forfeited his opportunity to pursue a career with the Bengals and that his conduct could no longer be tolerated.

[20] The move came less than a month after Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stated the team had no interest in bringing back Henry.

One month later, on January 30, 2006, he was arrested in Orlando, Florida, for multiple gun charges including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm.

[25] One of the three, an 18-year-old woman, accused Henry of sexually assaulting her; she later retracted her story and was charged with filing a false police report.

[27] On October 6, 2006, Henry was suspended by the NFL for two games for violating the league's substance abuse and personal conduct policies.

NFL policies forbade Henry from taking part in practices; however, he was allowed to attend any team meetings.

[28] On January 25, 2007, Henry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of a city ordinance commonly referred to as a "keg law."

On March 31, 2008, Henry punched Gregory Meyer, 18, in the face and threw a beer bottle through the window of his car.

On December 16, 2009, Henry sustained injuries when he fell out of the back of a moving truck driven by his fiancée, Loleini Tonga, while they were engaged in a domestic dispute.

No charges were filed against his fiancée, and police announced that they found no evidence that Tonga drove recklessly or with excessive speed.

[37] To honor Henry, every game of Week 15 (December 17–21) in the NFL that year began with a moment of silence before kickoff.

"Our football team, what they're feeling yesterday and this morning ... they watched a guy mature as a young man and work through adversity," Lewis said, adding that Henry became "a beacon of hope.

"[38]On December 20, three days after Henry's death, the Bengals traveled to Qualcomm Stadium to face the San Diego Chargers.

Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, a close friend of Henry's, openly wept during the silence.

Henry's corneas, lungs, kidneys, heart, liver, and pancreas were transplanted, saving the lives of four people.