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Travis Henry's troubling story

Interesting read in last week's New York Times about ex-running back Travis Henry.

Henry spent seven seasons in the league, with stops in Buffalo, Tennessee and Denver. He even made the Pro Bowl in 2002.

But over the years, he's become better known for his off-the-field activities, most notably fathering nine children from nine different women between 2001 and 2007.

Reporter Mike Tierney caught up with Henry, who is under house arrest for a drug matter.

"They've got my blood; I've got to deal with it," Henry said in the article.

Per Tierney, Henry is responsible for about $170,000 per year in child support payments.

Henry is only 30-years-old, and his football-playing days are over. He first became a father in high school, and had two more children while playing college ball at Tennessee.

"I've lost everything in this mess I've gotten myself into," Henry said in the report.

If you're wondering if the league warns its players about unprotected sexual activity, it does. The NFL showed Henry and other players a skit, which warned about this kind of thing, back in 2001 at the rookie symposium.

"I thought, 'That ain't ever going to happen to me,' " he said.

"I did use protection at first. Then they'd be saying they'd be on the pill. I was an idiot to trust them. Second or third time with them, I didn't use it. Then, boom!"

According to the article, Henry earned about $6.7 million on his last contract with the Broncos, but unwise spending leaves him unable to make child support payments. Henry said the $250,000 he's spent on jewelery over the years "ain't a lot" compared to other players. He added that spending on his family hurt his finances also.

Click here for the full article.