CBS-TV Charlotte affiliate WBTV has another eyewitnesses account of the fatal incident involving Chris Henry and Loleini Tonga yesterday.

WBTV spoke with a neighbor who claims he witnessed an argument between Henry and Tonga on Wednesday outside her parents’ Peachtree Road home in northwest Charlotte. The neighbor said Tonga left the house driving a yellow Ford F150 truck. Henry got into the back of the pickup and continued yelling at Tonga.

The neighbor said he heard Henry tell Tongo he was going to throw himself out of the back of the truck if she didn’t stop.

Another person who lived near where Henry eventually landed, Sharon Hofman, was at the scene and attended to the fallen Henry. She also reported an account of what she saw to reporters and police. Read more…

Prodigious Twitter.com account holder Jay Feely Tweeted this after Chris Henry’s death was announced today:

(Jay: How’s the air up that high (and mighty)?)

Probably not the best way to express himself at that moment. But don’t take my word for it.

Feely then followed with the obligatory backpedal. Sorta. Read more…

Charlotte flagship NPR station WFAE-FM reporter Greg Collard reports an eyewitness account of yesterday’s Chris Henry incident in progress:

Jed Beck passed the truck on a lunch break. He says the driver appeared under control, but he saw Henry atop a large tool box in the truck bed.

“And his head was poking inside the cabin window, so his head was in the truck. And his body was outside, and he’s holding on - his arms were completely outstretched holding on to both sides…and didn’t have a shirt. Me and my co-worker thought it was completely bizarre because it was 40 degrees outside.

It isn’t clear how many people were within a clear vantage point of the road where Henry fell to his eventual death. Obviously eyewitness accounts like Beck’s will be critical in an attempt to piece together what happened that day.

You can listen to the 911 calls and get more info about the incident here.

The CINCINNATI ENQUIRER has a 911 call about the Chris Henry incident (audio): “I need an ambulance now there’s someone laying in the road. There’s a man in the road, he looks dead. There’s no movement. He’s unconscious, he’s not awake.”

TMZ.com has a second 911 call from the Chris Henry fatal truck incident (audio).

(Bengals helmet decal to remember Henry)

Henry is described as shirtless, “beating on the back of a truck window. I don’t know if he’s trying to break into it. It looks crazy. … black male hanging on the back of it (truck).”

You can also listen to both calls here, per the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Read more…

Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police have confirmed Chris Henry died this morning from injuries suffered in a pickup truck accident yesterday. The Bengals have yet to provide confirmation.

UPDATE: Chris Henry two months ago to Joe Reedy of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER about his fiancee Loleini Tonga:

“She’s been a big help. She’s been right here with me and going through things and helping out on my side. We have the kids and she has my back with everything I’ve needed. She’s a great person and I love her to death.”

UPDATE: WLW-TV in Cincinnati has video.

UPDATE: WCNC-TV in Charlotte has a slideshow of photos of the Chris Henry pickup truck accident scene:

UPDATE: Dan Graziano of AOL FANHOUSE:

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry was seriously injured in a car accident Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. and was being treated for life-threatening injuries, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.

“We don’t think he’s going to make it,” the source told FanHouse on Wednesday evening.

UPDATE: TMZ.com has more details: “Authorities are investigating whether Henry jumped off the truck or whether he was thrown. The official says they are investigating the possibility the Cincinnati Bengal was thrown from the truck after (Henry fiancee) Loleini Tonga swerved back and forth.”

UPDATE: Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com reports: “Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is on life support. … The source described the situation as ‘dire.’”

Joe Reedy of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, from (let’s hope) his Twitter account on the status of Chris Henry:

Henry reportedly fell out the back of a pickup truck earlier today during a domestic dispute and suffered significant injuries.

Most recently, the KENTUCKY POST reported, “Homicide Detectives with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department are investigating the incident.” Read more…

Remember yesterday when we talked about helmet redesigns and all that? The general consensus of the writers of the original article was that the Bengals were the best at using the entire helmet as a canvas rather than just thinking of it as left-half/right-half. A work of art, it is.

(Hmm. Interesting decision.)

Young Dustin Reader certainly seemed to agree, and he got a haircut to match those helmets over the weekend. School administrators? Not so impressed, and Reader’s now at the mercy of one of the most miserable groups of people on the planet: middle school administrators. We’re praying for your life, Dustin.

Read more…

Chad Ochocinco has media and fans eating out of his hand in the aftermath of the launch of his $3 iPhone app.

(Kuselias keeping ESPN Radio on top)

The app, co-produced by Bengals teammate Jordan Palmer, appears to be selling well on iTunes, though there isn’t exactly a lot of app activity in the sports genre. But to his credit, Ochocinco’s venture is doing a lot better than I thought it would.

And with his announcement today, those app sales figure to only get better. Read more…

Noted fashionista Chad Ochocinco introduces us to the wonderment of RunPee proprietor Jordan Palmer’s wardrobe.

 Jordan now developing a Jordache iPhone app?

As you might recall, there’s a labor stoppage looming on the NFL’s horizon; without a new deal, the salary cap disappears in 2010, then play stops for 2011 and all hell breaks loose. Bad times, especially for the players. To that end, apparently, the NFLPA is taking today to meet with players about the lockout and to discuss the union’s strategy for attacking the possibility of a lockout.

(What? No way. Seriously, no way, right.)

What the NFLPA perhaps should not have done is invite notorious Tweetmonster Chad Ochocinco, who couldn’t get “be quiet” right if it were Wheel of Fortune and you spotted him the B, E, Q, and T. So naturally, Ocho kept his phone off during the proceedings and of course we’re lying, he’s been giving his followers updates the entire time. Oh, and just to prove that he’s reliable, he also claimed to get cut from the Bengals in the middle of the thing, so… your guess is as good as ours, really.

Read more…