Fiancee Of Deceased Bengals' WR Chris Henry Gives First Interview

NFL News - January 5th, 2010 - Written by John

On Monday, in an interview with ESPN's Outside The Lines, the fiancee of Bengal's WR Chris Henry said she was not driving as fast as initial reports had indicated on the day Henry died. Henry sustained massive head injuries as the result of falling from the moving vehicle.

"I think he thought maybe he was going to land. He was going to land right," said Loleini Tonga. "I wasn't going fast. Maybe he was scared because he saw someone calling the police."

The event stems from an alleged domestic dispute between the couple that took place back on December 16th at the residence of Tonga's parents, however Tonga was unwilling to disclose any details. Henry died in a Charlotte Hospital the next day on December 17th from head trauma.

Though Henry will never be able to tell his side of the story, events surrounding those two days are still under investigation.

Tonga insists that Henry jumped out of the back of truck and that he did not fall. "He jumped," Tonga said to Outside the Lines. "He jumped. He jumped from the back of the car."

When asked in the interview exactly how fast she thinks she was traveling at the time Henry jumped out of the back of the truck, Tonga professes that the stretch of road they were on at the time was a 35-mph zone, and she wasn't speeding.

"I know I wasn't going fast at all because I was trying to drive slow because I knew he was in the back standing up," she said in the interview.

A 911-call from a person driving next to Tonga describes "a shirtless man wearing a cast beating on the back of this truck window", according to ESPN.

Tonga said that she did not stop the vehicle due to the fact that there wasn't an appropriate place to pull over and stop.

A witness to the event says that they recall Henry telling Tonga that he would jump out of the back and end his life if she did not stop the truck. Tonga however denies this.

"I have no idea what was going through his mind," she said in the interview. "But as far as him wanting to end his life, no, he had too much going on. I know he wouldn't want to be gone away from his kids. He loves his kids. And everything was going really good. It's just that one day."

Henry, 26, was on the injured reserve for the Bengals due to an injured arm that ended his 2009 season early. Those close to Henry said he had gotten his life turned around after a rocky stretch of poor personal decisions. Henry had since earned the respect and admiration of his peers, Bengals' head coach Marvin Lewis, and that of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Since his death, the Cincinnati Bengals have been shaken. Heading into the 2009 NFL Playoffs, the Bengals have just 1 win and 2 losses, one of which was a devastating loss to the San Diego Chargers just days after the tragedy.

This Saturday, the Bengals face the New York Jets in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.