Former Broncos running back Travis Henry walked into a Montana courtroom Wednesday facing a sentence of 10 years in prison with a $4 million fine.

He left the courtroom knowing that he could be released in 16 months and would not be fined.

“We were very happy with the sentence and treatment that both the court and government showed throughout this process,” Henry’s attorney Harvey Steinberg said Wednesday in a phone interview from Billings, Mont.

Henry, 30, was arrested last October for financing a drug ring that moved cocaine to Montana from Colorado. Henry was caught with six kilos of cocaine by undercover agents and later pled guilty to a single count of trafficking cocaine.

Steinberg sought leniency for Henry by arguing his client turned to drug trafficking out of desperation after his release from the Broncos two months earlier. U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull sentenced Henry to three years in a Florida prison and another five years’ probation. Cebull also agreed that if Henry completes a 500-hour drug treatment program while in prison, he would knock 12 months off his sentence.

Steinberg said with good behavior, Henry could get another four months subtracted from his sentence. Henry was also credited with the two months he already has served in a Montana prison, meaning he has a chance to return to society in November 2010.

Cebull waived the fine, saying Henry, who according to court documents has fathered 11 children by 10 women, could not afford it.

Henry was arrested by federal drug agents last October — just a few months after he was released by the Broncos one season into a four-year, $22.5 million contract. He was cut after allegations of drug use and a perceived lack of commitment to the team.

Cebull said it was Henry’s addiction to marijuana that destroyed his career and landed him in jail.

“This is a unique case in that you’re a unique individual. You’re a heck of a football player,” Cebull said. “You are not unique in this sense: your drug habit.”

Henry apologized to the court and said his criminal actions did not reflect his true self.

“If given the chance, I want to tell kids around the world that using drugs and abusing drugs isn’t the way,” he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thaggard argued for a sentence of at least 33 months.

“Mr. Henry did have it all, in a sense, and he lost it. That’s unfortunate,” Thaggard said. “The bottom line is this was a significant conspiracy to move a substantial quantity of drugs.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.