Erin Henderson still is looking for a job, but says he's on the path to personal recovery.
The Minnesota Vikingscut the linebacker after separate arrests on DUI and drug charges. Henderson wrote to TMZ.com that he checked into an inpatient rehabilitation facility in January immediately following his second arrest.
The 27-year-old linebacker said he "cannot be more grateful" for his arrests, because it woke him up to the downward spiral his life was headed toward.
"There would be times where I would come to practice hung over," Henderson, 27, told USA Today's Tom Pelissero on Tuesday. "Never just fresh off of drinking coming into practice. But I might have had a rough night the night before, and I'd be in front of the huddle calling plays. And everybody would know that I had been out drinking the night before.
"Of course, that affects the ability to go out there and perform and be the best that you can be. But I'd been doing it for so long and it's something that I had gotten used to."
Henderson started 33 games in Minnesota the past three seasons. As a full-time starter at middle linebacker, he earned 112 tackles in 2013, second on the squad, to go with four sacks and two interceptions.
It was his demons off the field -- not his play on it -- that led to the Vikings cutting ties. Henderson said a change of scenery will be beneficial.
First, he has to prove to a team he's worth another gamble.
"For me, it's nothing different than when I came out here to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent," he said. "Once I get on to a team and get on to a roster, I trust myself and believe myself. It's just a matter of somebody going out on a limb and trusting me."
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys begin the offseason Roster Reset series with the AFC West and dive into the ATL mailbag.
