This has got to be one of the more disturbing stories of the college football offseason. Former University of Illinois linebacker Trulon Henry, who was injured in a off-campus shooting his senior year of college, has been charged with child sex crimes.
According to WGN-TV, Henry, 39, was officially charged with three counts of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and predatory criminal sexual assault. These crimes were allegedly committed while he working as a supervisor at Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness in the Bronzeville section of Chicago.
He has obviously since been terminated from Aunt Martha’s, which is itself under investigation due to allegations of abuse by other staff members. Earlier this summer, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services ordered children to no longer be sent to Aunt Martha’s.
Henry, a two-year starter for the Illini (he moved from safety to linebacker his senior year) was shot in the hand in November 2011 and underwent surgery. He missed the final two games of the season, but went on to suit up on New Year’s Eve versus UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
Trulon Henry has been in serious legal trouble before.
He spent more than four years in prison on an armed robbery conviction. He and his uncle robbed a Safeway store. The Washington, D.C., native arrived at Illinois after spending two years at a junior college in Illinois. The Ron Zook led staff gave him another chance.
Trulon Henry is the older brother of former NFL wide receiver and Illini star Arrelious Benn (Henry inherited Benn’s #9 after Arrelious left early for the NFL Draft).
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.