A year ago, the name "Chris Henry" was usually heard in this context: Why did the Bengals ever bring him back? He has sons Chris Jr., 2, and DeMarcus, 10 months. Said Tonga: "Just look at him now and forget about the past.
– After years of drug- and alcohol-related incidents, five arrests, and multiple suspensions from football, Chris Henry’s life ended just when those troubles finally seemed to be over. Fianceé Loleini Tonga was the reason behind much of Henry’s recent happiness, Dashiell Bennett writes on Deadspin. Just hours before the accident that cost Henry his life, Tonga wrote on MySpace that the pair had bought their wedding rings, TMZ reports. Bennett points to a “now haunting” Cincinnati Enquirer piece published 2 months ago, lauding Henry’s comeback on and off the field and his newfound commitment to his family. “This last troubling incident is made all the more tragic by the belief of those around him, that there wouldn't be any more,” Bennett writes. “Just like fellow NFL player Sean Taylor, his past did not ‘catch up with him,’ but the saddest stories are those that should have had a happy ending.”