Former Cheerleader Says She Mistakenly Trusted Henley

A former Ram cheerleader testified Thursday that she thought she was carrying suitcases of cash, not cocaine, when she flew to Memphis and Atlanta at the behest of Ram cornerback Darryl Henley and his friends.

But Tracy Ann Donaho, a key prosecution witness against Henley and four others being tried in Santa Ana on federal cocaine trafficking charges, admitted that she should have known better.

“There were so many things that were suspicious,” Donaho testified, taking the witness stand for a second day. “I never chose to ask. I should have known.”

Donaho said she had resisted her misgivings about making the trips because she trusted Henley, whom she had started dating about six months before her arrest in July of 1993.

Donaho has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport cocaine.

Henley has vigorously maintained his innocence. His lawyers have contended that Donaho is accusing the football player of involvement in the alleged drug ring in the hopes of winning a greatly reduced sentence for her crime.

Henley, 28, and Donaho, who was 19 at the time, were among eight people indicted by a federal grand jury for their alleged roles in the drug ring.