When Mike Shanahan announced Travis Henry's release yesterday, his statement mentioned a lack of commitment from the running back. It didn't delve into specifics, though a variety of sources are offering some insight as to the reasons why keeping Henry was impossible. The hamstring injury that kept him from practicing is top on the list. While it meant he couldn't participate in drills, it didn't mean that he was excused from showing up to practice. Bill Williamson of Hashmarks (and late of the Denver Post) reports that Henry stopped showing up for the team's OTA's which raised the ire of Shanahan and others. His fellow running backs weren't immune to feeling abandoned, either.
"That's on him," Broncos running back Andre Hall said. "He brought it on himself. I know he's supposed to be out here. Lots of guys are out here hurt."If true, that's not a great deal of commitment, especially after the team backed Henry right down the line after his positive drug test a year ago. Shanahan was his biggest supporter, he even got fined for questioning the league's testing policies, but another rumor holds that Henry turned against the coach as well.
Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk is reporting that the two men had an altercation, verbal not physical, recently which may have helped seal the decision to sign Michael Pittman and send Henry packing. While Shanahan deserves credit for realizing Henry's ability to help the team was gone, he now has another free agency failure on his sketchy resume as a personnel evaluator.
