Bengals’ Chris Henry had chronic brain injury

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry suffered from a chronic brain injury that may have influenced his mental state and behavior before he died last winter, West Virginia University researchers said Monday.

The doctors had done a microscopic tissue analysis of Henry’s brain that showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes and California medical examiner Bennet Omalu, co-directors of the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia, announced their findings alongside Henry’s mother, Carolyn Henry Glaspy, who called it a “big shock” because she knew nothing about her 26-year-old son’s underlying condition or the disease.

Henry died in December, a day after he came out of the back of a pickup truck his fiancee was driving near their home in Charlotte, N.C. It’s unclear whether Henry jumped or fell. Toxicology tests found no alcohol in his system, and an autopsy concluded he died of numerous head injuries, including a fractured skull and brain hemorrhaging.

PRO FOOTBALL

Virginia Beach police say Michael Vick has been interviewed about a shooting that took place outside a nightclub where he had celebrated his birthday.

Police spokesman Adam Bernstein said the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback answered questions at police headquarters Monday afternoon. He said Vick is not a suspect, and no arrest has been made.

Authorities have not identified the man who was wounded in the shooting just after 2 a.m. Friday. Several news outlets identified him as Quanis Phillips, one of the co-defendants in the dogfighting case that landed Vick in federal prison for 18 months.

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Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Willie Colon injured his right Achilles’ tendon while working out at the team’s practice complex.

If the tendon is torn, Colon is likely to require surgery that would end his season.

ETC.

The California Interscholastic Federation has changed the way it selects schools for the State Championship Football Bowl Games and will rely more on competitive equity than enrollment in placing schools in divisions.

There will be five bowl games played Dec. 17-18 at the Home Depot Center — Open, Division I, II, III and IV. Schools still must win their section championship to be eligible.

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An Orange County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the CIF Southern Section from releasing details of a punishment self-imposed by Santa Margarita High for a rules violation March 31.

Judge Steven L. Perk said disclosure of a letter detailing the penalty “would cause irreparable harm” to the employee or employees at Santa Margarita who were disciplined. He has scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 23.

The Times requested information and details of the punishment via a California Public Records Act request.

An attorney representing Santa Margarita and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange argued that the letter was related to a personnel issue involving a private employee of a private institution. The CIF attorney said Santa Margarita waived any claim of exemption by providing the letter.

Santa Margarita has said it violated Southern Section rules March 31 at an open house at which football Coach Harry Welch met with parents of youth football players.

— Eric Sondheimer