Practice was finished, and after a short break, players gathered for positional meetings inside the team headquarters at Dove Valley.
Outside, Travis Henry was limping away in a stylish, blue sweat suit, a monstrous ice pack taped to his left knee.
The snapshot Wednesday afternoon didn’t offer much hope Henry would play in what may be his final game for the Broncos. The running back revealed Thursday the specific nature of his knee injury is a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament. It forced him to miss the previous game against Kansas City and might sideline him again Monday night for the Broncos’ game against his former team, the Tennessee Titans, at Invesco Field at Mile High.
As most football fans have heard, the knee is the least of Henry’s problems.
He left early Thursday because he has a hearing at 1 p.m. today with NFL officials in Phoenix. He is appealing the results of a urine test that came back positive for low levels of marijuana.
“I’m optimistic,” Henry said of his appeal.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to rule on Henry’s case next week. If Henry loses his appeal, the substance abuse policy calls for a one-year suspension because it would be his third offense.
“It ain’t a tough week, it’s a good week,” Henry said. “It’s been going on for so long, I’m ready to know what’s going to happen.”
Henry rushed for at least 128 yards in three of his first four games with the Broncos, but in the next five games, he missed two with injuries and rushed for 65, 51 and 31 yards in the others. He has dropped from the league’s leading rusher through Week 4 to 14th.
If Henry can’t play Monday, he would again be replaced by undrafted rookie Selvin Young, who rushed for 109 yards last week at Kansas City.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to reporting error incorrect injury was cited for running back Travis Henry, who torn his posterior cruciate ligament.
