Out of Control

Among Henderson's milder confessions: he came from a broken home, the son of an alcoholic father; he did not show much football prowess until he attended Langston, a black college in Oklahoma. Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, he became one of their stalwarts as the team went to the Super Bowl with increasing frequency. But, in addition to the antipain medication he and most of the other players were given before each game, he turned from heavy marijuana smoking to heavy cocaine use. He quit the Cowboys and, subsequently, played for the 49ers, the Oilers and Dolphins, with whom he suffered a career-ending injury. Then to his cocaine habit, which consumed some $6,000 a week, he added alcohol abuse. He was imprisoned for having sexual relations with underage girls, but since his release has remained drug-free. A candid and revealing autobiography. Author tour. (September 4)