Chris Henry mourned at memorial

WESTWEGO, La. (AP) — Chris Henry’s fiancee wept as she spoke about the late Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tuesday, saying that while she often got credit for steering him clear of trouble, he changed her life as well.

Henry, 26, was killed after he fell out of the bed of pickup truck driven by his fiancee, Loleini Tonga, during what police called a domestic dispute. Police are investigating, but no charges have been filed.

Tonga, wearing large sunglasses, paused to gather herself repeatedly as she spoke to hundreds of mourners at his funeral — including Henry’s teammates — who filled the grandstands at a suburban New Orleans events center. Tonga professed eternal love for Henry and promised to raise their children the way he would want.

“Can’t nobody know the way I’m feeling right now. No one can explain the relationship that me and Chris had. In six years of knowing each other — through hard times, good times — we loved each other very much,” she said. “People say I helped change his life. No. He changed mine.”

Mourners clapped briefly as Tonga slowly made her way back to her front row seat.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Bengals players, coaches and members of the front office, as well as other NFL players including New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, were among those who attended. The Bengals wore black, round buttons on their lapels with Henry’s No. 15. Many from Henry’s hometown of Belle Chasse wore red ribbons with a small photo of Henry that read: “In loving memory” and “Chris ‘Slim’ Henry.”

Speaking before the service, Goodell said Henry’s legacy would be a good person who made mistakes, then sought to better himself. That his life was cut short just as he was turning it around made Henry’s story so tragic, Goodell said.

“His future as a husband and a father were important to him,” Goodell said. “He was a young man that struggled, made some decisions that he regretted, but he put himself on the right path.”