Washington, December 17: American football star Chris Henry is on life support after falling off the back of a pick-up truck following a domestic dispute with his fiancee today.
Henry, 26, was found in a critical condition on a residential street in Charlotte, North Carolina “apparently suffering life-threatening injuries”, just hours after his fiancee had boasted of her excitement at buying rings for their wedding, Fox affiliate WCCB said
He was transported to Carolina’s Medical Centre, the local trauma unit.
Web rumours that Henry had been killed have not been confirmed.
Police said he had jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as his fiancee – named by TMZ.com as Loleini Tonga – was driving away from the residence after a domestic dispute.
“The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr Henry,” the police said. “At some point while she was driving, Mr Henry came out of the back of the vehicle.”
TMZ.com reports that just hours before the crash, Ms Tonga told about how excited she was about her upcoming wedding to the Cincinnati Bengals star.
Ms Tonga had gone to her MySpace page, writing about how she just “put deposIt down 4 weDDing piCs… Paid 4 ouR riNgs” (sic).
The Bengals wide receiver was found on Oakdale Road about 800m away from the home in Peachtree Road when police were called to the scene after a report that a man was down.
Henry, who was suspended for eight games in 2007, has been one of the NFL’s more troubled players.
But it had been reported that he was turning his life around with the help of Ms Tonga.
In a Cincinatti Enquirer article in October, Ms Tonga said of him: “Just look at him now and forget about the past. We have moved on. He’s a wonderful dad and he’s great with the kids. I couldn’t have asked for better.”
Henry broke his left forearm during a win over Baltimore on November 8 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve after surgery.
Henry is in the final year of his contract with the Bengals, who let him go following the 2007 season. Owner Mike Brown then brought him back a few months later, signing him to a two-year deal, and he had stayed out of trouble since his return.
A deep threat, he was fourth among Bengals receivers this season with 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns at the time of his injury.
—Agencies