Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry may be on the verge of seeing his career disintegrate for good.

Henry was on Sheriff Goodell's Most Wanted list when the NFL commissioner began his crackdown on players behaving badly last year when Henry -- who was arrested four times in 14 months -- was suspended for the first half of the 2007 season. Last week, Henry was in in minor trouble -- driving with expired license plates -- and nicked for $149. For Henry, any trouble is a problem but expired plates seems to be more about laziness or lack of awareness than any malice so maybe you let him go with a stern lecture on that one.

But within a week, Henry was in much warmer water. He was charged with misdemeanor assault and property damage in a Monday incident when he allegedly punched an 18-year old man in the face and threw a bottle at the man's car breaking a window. There is also a witness to the incident. Henry's agent said the player told him that the incident did not happen that way.

No matter how it happened, the Bengals' collective patience has to be exhausted when a player's number of appearances in the police blotter challenge his number of receptions.

According to a local newscast, there are elements to the Henry story that -- if true -- may cast him in an even poorer light. It appears the incident happened outside an apartment building where a party was being held and it seems that the alleged victim was not part of the party. Furthermore, it also appears to be a building occupied by college students and so the question is raised why Henry, a professional football player who turns 25 next month, would be frequenting such a gathering.