Former Viking LB Erin Henderson Gets Four Game Suspension
By Dan Zinski
If or when Erin Henderson ever returns to the NFL, he will have to sit out the first four games for his new team while serving a suspension for a pair of 2013 DUI arrests.
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The 28-year-old Henderson played six years for the Vikings, spending his last couple seasons as a sometimes-effective starting linebacker. In 2011 he was impressive enough to rate as one of Pro Football Focus’s top 101 players.
His production dipped in 2013 when he was asked by Leslie Frazier to play out of position at middle linebacker. A late season DUI arrest dropped him briefly from the lineup, and a second DUI arrest on New Year’s Eve eliminated him from the Vikings’ plans entirely.
Henderson has since gone through rehab and says he’s sober and looking for another shot in the NFL (via USA Today):
"“I like to call myself a recovering alcoholic. I understand it’s an ongoing battle. It’s a lifelong thing. Anybody that’s dealt with me, anybody in the Vikings organization, know that the things that transpired aren’t me. That was a different person that had taken over my body, pretty much.“For me, it’s nothing different than when I came out here to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Once I get on to a team and get on to a roster, I trust myself and believe myself. It’s just a matter of somebody going out on a limb and trusting me.”"
Henderson has received “no known interest” from any NFL team since being let go by the Vikings, reports NFL.com.