Chris Herren Reaches Out to Marshall Henderson

Mar 24, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Mississippi Rebles guard Marshall Henderson (22) drives against La Salle Explorers guard Ramon Galloway (55) in the second half during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at the Sprint Center. La Salle defeated Mississippi 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Former basketball player Chris Herren knows all to well the dangers of drug addiction. Herren has incurred seven drug-related felonies and was once even legally dead for thirty seconds after overdosing on heroin and slamming his car into a pole. Now sober, Herren tours the United States, sharing his story of drug abuse.Upon learning about Marshall Henderson’s suspension, Herren expressed his supportfor the polarizing Ole Miss guard:

"He’s very interested, no, he’s very invested in doing the right thing for himself. He’s a kid in a very tough spot right now — under a very public spotlight. It’s hard enough to navigate through this when you don’t have headlines and cameras and news reporters. This is serious stuff. Marshall sounded great as he could possibly sound as far as getting this figured out, as far as turning this around."

The two evidently spoke by phone, a conversation that, according to Henderson’s Twitter account, went well.Herren also said he commiserated with the hateful comments and taunts Henderson endures from opposing fans:

"People judge his antics on the court. They’re not hearing what’s being yelled at Marshall Henderson, what’s being said about him, his family. I’ve been there, I’ve had 12,000 people chanting ‘cocaine.’ That’s hard for the best of the best to process. Never mind a kid bouncing a basketball."

Henderson was named the MVP of the Southeastern Conference tournament last year and led the conference in scoring.

[Source: USA Today]