Chris Henry Funeral: Cincinnati Bengals and National Football League Honor Fallen Comrade

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 in attendance. The Bengals wore round black 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 but 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.

Henry grew up in the small, suburban community Belle Chasse, not far from the funeral site.

Henry died Thursday, a day after he fell out of the truck in North Carolina, where he had been recovering from a broken forearm that ended his season. Police said Henry and his fiance got into an argument at the Tonga family home and she drove away on a curvy residential street near downtown Charlotte. Henry jumped into the truck's bed.

Loleini Tonga and Chris Henry had two children together, Chris Jr. and Demacrus, and they also cared for Tonga's two other children, Seini and Denalya.

Henry's football career was marred by off-the-field problems, beginning when he played college ball at West Virginia. His troubles continued during a five-year NFL career. He was suspended five times for arrests ranging from weapons charges to drugs.

The Bengals said Henry had turned his life around this season and showed a renewed focus on his football career. A thigh injury slowed him early in the season, but he had 12 catches for 236 yards. His 19.7-yard average per catch led the team before he broke his left forearm during a win last month over the Baltimore Ravens.

Henry dreamed of playing in the NFL, but after he was ejected from a game and suspended for another at West Virginia, the Bengals were the only team to bring him in for a pre-draft visit in 2005.

Selected in the third round, Henry played a vital role as a speedy, deep threat as Cincinnati reached the playoffs in his rookie season. But in the final month of the season he was arrested for marijuana possession. His long-time friend, however, spoke about the Chris Henry he knew. "The Chris Henry I knew was a good quiet young man; wasn't a troublemaker," said Shelley, his high school friend. "That's what everybody needs to know. He was a good man, a good father " --- Shane Shelley, 26, was Henry's high school QB when they made it to the state title game in 2001, their senior year.

Also on Tuesday, it was disclosed that Henry's organs and cornea were donated to needy patients following his death, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

LifeShare of The Carolinas, the organ procurement organization that handled the donation, said it revealed Henry's gift when his mother, Carolyn Glaspy, said she wanted it made public, according to the report. Information about the recipients was not released due to medical privacy laws.