Broncos rookie arrested, goes to great lengths to hide drugs

By Ross Kelly January 15, 2018 at 4:47pm

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Denver Broncos rookie Carlos Henderson had a rough 2017 and his 2018 is off to an even worse start.

The third-round receiver struggled during training camp last year and then muffed two punts during preseason. He then suffered a thumb injury which shut down his season before it officially started as he was placed on IR before playing a regular-season game.

With his season and the Broncos’ season over, Henderson went back to his native Louisiana and ran into more trouble, this time off the field.

TMZ Sports reports Henderson was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over Sunday. The vehicle was speeding and when it was pulled over, police reported noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from the car.

Both Henderson and the driver denied possessing or smoking marijuana, but a search of the car turned up the drug around Henderson’s passenger seat.

Authorities also found what appeared to be the remainder of a marijuana cigarette, so they then checked the tongues of both Henderson and the driver. The driver’s tongue was apparently clean but Henderson’s “contained a thick green residue.”

Henderson then admitted he had smoked earlier in that day but denied trying to eat the remnants of the drug. But with him unable to explain why some was found on his tongue, the police booked him for possession of marijuana.

The driver was let go with a speeding ticket but Henderson was taken to jail where he was then bonded out.

“We are aware of the issue involving Carlos Henderson and are gathering more information,” the Broncos said in a statement Sunday night.

Broncos fans were less diplomatic in the news of the arrest.

Carlos Henderson, why are you going back to Louisiana with weed? You should’ve just stayed in CO where it’s LEGAL. That’s a dumb mistake.

— Manolo (@MileHighManolo) January 15, 2018

Henderson hasn’t commented since the arrest through a statement or on social media.

As the 10th receiver taken in last year’s draft, the Broncos expected Henderson to contribute immediately before his injury. Of the top 24 receivers drafted, Henderson was the only one who didn’t play in a regular-season game.

After redshirting in 2013, Henderson played at Louisiana Tech from 2014-2016. In his final season he was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and its Special Teams Player of the Year.

He led all NCAA receivers with 19 touchdowns and also led C-USA with two kick returns for touchdowns. Henderson had one reception for the Broncos in the preseason before the thumb injury ended his season.

The Broncos coaching staff is currently in Mobile, Alabama where they will coach the North Team for the Senior Bowl. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they started looking for Henderson’s replacement there with news of his arrest.

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