Attorney: Cincy’s Henry passed drug screenings

Reports circulated Monday that the wide receiver had failed a drug test.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Suspended Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has passed his drug screenings, a Kentucky prosecutor and an attorney for the player said Wednesday.

“There were no drugs found in his system,” said attorney Robert Lotz, who received the final test results at his office in nearby Covington, Ky.

Rob Sanders, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Kenton County, Ky., confirmed that lab analysis of Henry’s drug tests came back negative.

“He’s been tested and cleared twice,” Sanders said.

The Bengals said they were pleased with the latest news on Henry.

“The club is not aware of any circumstance in which Chris has not complied with his obligations to legal and NFL-related procedures that will be required if he is to return to active playing status during the 2007 season,” the Bengals said in a statement.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to comment Wednesday on Henry.

Henry undergoes drug screenings as part of his probation in Orlando, Fla., for carrying a concealed weapon and in Kenton County for letting minors drink in a hotel room he rented. Kentucky state authorities screen Henry for Florida authorities.

Early reports

Reports had circulated Monday that Henry, already suspended for eight NFL games and on probation in both Kentucky and Florida for crimes there, had failed a drug test. Henry’s agent denied the report, and the Kenton county prosecutor’s office conceded there were inconsistencies and that more testing was needed.

The Kentucky Division of Probation and Parole said Wednesday that Henry had passed a drug screening it conducted for Florida.

“Our office did receive results today of a drug test conducted on Henry, and those results were negative,” said Lisa Lamb, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Corrections.

The Kenton County screening is done by a local agency. Spokeswoman Melissa Pryor-Reed said the county prosecutor’s office had not yet received the final test results.

Lotz said he had the results of both screenings and both were negative, and Sanders, the Commonwealth’s attorney for the judicial circuit comprised of Kenton County, said he had also received confirmations in both cases.

“I think Chris Henry is owed an apology,” Lotz said Wednesday.

The stakes are high for Henry, who was arrested four times over a 14-month period. Failing a drug screening could not only mean jail time but an extension of his NFL suspension by a full year or more.

Goodell suspended Henry, a third-year pro, for eight games and his former West Virginia teammate Adam “Pacman” Jones, Tennessee cornerback, for the season.

“I must emphasize to you that this is your last opportunity to salvage your NFL career,” Goodell wrote in letters to the players.