It has been a couple weeks since the latest season of Last Chance U was released, and quarterback Malik Henry has been mostly silent since the show dropped on Netflix. Upon the release of Season 3, Henry sent out a supportive tweet noting he had a great relationship with Independence head coach Jason Brown. Henry and his father, Marchell Henry, sat down with FS1’s Jason Whitlock on the show Speak for Yourself. The lengthy interview touched on a range of topics including Henry’s portrayal on the Netflix show, time at Florida State and his future for next season.
Henry was not pleased with how he was portrayed on Last Chance U, noting it did not show the full picture of his relationship with Brown. While he agreed all the events on the show did happen, Henry believes they do not portray the entirety of their relationship. Henry’s father shed some light on why his son left Florida State, and what went on behind the scenes.
As Heavy previously reported, there were no signs that Henry was kicked out of school at Florida State. Marchell Henry explained that shortly after his son arrived in Tallahassee they found out his grandmother had cancer and grandfather suffered a stroke. Henry wanted to come home, but his father advised him to stay at Florida State.
Henry’s dad also admitted his son had a difficult time adjusting to live away from his family, and his issues had nothing to do with football. Marchell Henry explained his son started struggling with anxiety which eventually turned into depression. Sometime in November 2016, his father came for a visit, and decided after seeing his son the best move was to have him leave the program.
Malik Henry Said a “Couple Schools” Are Recruiting Him
Henry was extremely vague when discussing his future. While he declined to give specifics, Henry noted a “couple schools” are recruiting him, and he was waiting to hear back from them. When asked if he expects to play football this season, Henry noted that he does, but did not elaborate on where.
Last fall, Henry had been linked to Ole Miss. Despite reports that Ole Miss had made an offer to Henry, nothing came to fruition. We will wait and see if Henry is able to land anywhere. At this point, it seems unlikely Henry will be playing at a D1 program in 2018 given there is just a few weeks left before the season starts. Henry did not mention whether a return to Independence was an option, but it seems unlikely given Henry has likely graduated from the community college.
After watching Last Chance U, some have wondered whether Henry really has a passion for football. Some believe he is playing the sport because his father pressured him to play football over baseball. Henry confirmed he does want to play football, and is firm in his commitment to continue playing the sport over baseball. Both Henry and his father admitted they have not watched the entire season of Last Chance U.
These were Henry’s first public comments since the show aired, aside from his tweet supporting his former head coach.
“Some might not understand, our relationship was different than most. Listen to the message and not the tone. Father son type @INDYHEADCOACH1 #BuiltDifferent,” Henry tweeted.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our in-depth profile of Henry. Hopefully for Henry he can find a resolution to his future in the next couple weeks. You can listen to Henry’s full audio interview with Whitlock via this link, or watch the above video clips for the show highlights.