Updated: 8:40 p.m.
 Henry |
"It went very well. Chris did a wonderful job and the commissioner was very receptive," said Marvin Frazier. "He let Chris say his piece and that's all you can ask."
Some of his teammates believe the birth of his baby weeks ago has helped mature Henry and he told NFL Network that he spoke to Goodell about his family and himself.
"Just that I'm a ball player. I'm really into playing ball and I'm not the type of guy it seems like in the media," Henry said. "All the negative stuff. I'm a family guy, team player. I really love doing what I do and I had to talk to him about those types of things."
Frazier said a decision is expected in a week to 10 days on whether Henry faces a suspension to open the season. Although it's widely assumed that Goodell is going to come down harshly on Henry as part of the new commissioner's first strike against the NFL's off-field crime spree, Frazier didn't get the sense that Goodell is looking to send a message with an extra harsh ruling.
"I didn't get that at all," said Frazier, who accompanied Henry into the meeting. "He just wanted to hear Chris' side of the story. He wanted him to understand the lesson. Chris was wonderful. He apologized to Cincinnati, Kentucky, the organization, the fans. The commissioner was very impressive and I know this; I think he'll be fair."
Henry told the network he doesn't know what will happen after an interview in which Goodell asked him to explain the incidents rather than lecture him.
"I have no idea, to tell you the truth," he said. "Hopefully not, but I can't control anything. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that I won't."
Frazier said Stacy Robinson, director of player development for the NFL Players Association, also attended as did some league officials.
Henry, who turns 24 next month, finds himself in the middle of a storm as Goodell is about to implement a new player conduct policy before the April 28-29 draft. He left with a favorable impression of the commissioner and understands what he's trying to do.
"Pretty nice, you know," Henry said on the network. "To me, he's just trying to get everything together with the league and erase the problems of guys getting in trouble; trying to stay on top of things."
According to the current policy, Goodell has the discretion to suspend Henry for as many games as he wants because he's a multiple offender. No one has been hit for more than four games because of a violation of conduct, but never has there been such a rash of legal problems for the NFL.
Goodell already suspended Henry for two games last season after he pled to a weapons charge that followed a drug charge. Now Henry is waiting to hear if there is a punishment for a plea to reckless driving and providing alcohol to minors.
Frazier is hoping the previous suspension and fines levied by the league and Bengals, as well as his community service commitments, will gain a reprieve.
Henry reiterated to the network what he has been telling Cincinnati fans since last year.
"I was young and I'm more mature now, learning from my mistakes and everything I was involved with," he said. "I'm trying to turn all that negative stuff into a positive and move on from here.
"The fans who you say are 'scratching their heads' really aren't true fans, I guess, but I want to thank all the fans that supported me, which I still have a lot of with everything going on, still standing behind me," he said. "I just want to thank everybody and go into next season, make some big plays and try to take (Cincinnati) to the Super Bowl and make up for all the mistakes I made and all the problems I brought to Cincinnati."
