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After missing all of the 2006 and 2007 seasons due to violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy, the Cincinnati Bengals waived linebacker Odell Thurman on Monday.
Pacman Jones
Thurman
"The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "With our offseason work in progress and new talent added at our linebacker position, we've determined it's best to keep moving in a direction that does not include Odell."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had reinstated Thurman on April 21.
Thurman's release comes shortly after the Bengals cut wide receiver Chris Henry following his fifth arrest since 2005. Henry was suspended by Goodell for the first half of the 2007 season for misconduct.
In recent months, Thurman had been working out near his home in Monticello, Ga., and also at the University of Georgia in nearby Athens.
Because of injuries and Thurman's suspension, linebacker had been a star-crossed position for the Bengals the past two seasons. At one point in 2007, the team was forced to switch defensive end Robert Geathers to outside linebacker because of the shortage of bodies.
A starter in 2005 when he led the Bengals in tackles as a rookie, Thurman was initially suspended for four games in 2006 when he missed a scheduled drug screening. The sanction was subsequently increased to a year after Thurman was arrested on DUI charges Sept. 25, 2006.
Citing confidentiality guidelines, league and team officials declined to say last July why Thurman was not cleared then for reinstatement.
Two men in Monticello, Ga., filed a complaint last spring, alleging Thurman kicked and hit them at a party two days after he settled his drunken driving case in Cincinnati. The men later dropped their complaint, and no charges were filed.
Despite missing much of his rookie training camp because of a protracted contract impasse, Thurman appeared in 15 games in 2005, all as a starter, and registered 148 tackles, one sack, five interceptions, nine passes defensed and four forced fumbles. The former Georgia star was a candidate for defensive rookie of the year honors.
Thurman had two years left on his original rookie contract with the Bengals. The deal would have paid him $520,000 in 2008 and $615,000 in 2009. He lost $785,000 in salary during his two-year suspension.
Pacman Jones
Thurman
"The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "With our offseason work in progress and new talent added at our linebacker position, we've determined it's best to keep moving in a direction that does not include Odell."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had reinstated Thurman on April 21.
Thurman's release comes shortly after the Bengals cut wide receiver Chris Henry following his fifth arrest since 2005. Henry was suspended by Goodell for the first half of the 2007 season for misconduct.
In recent months, Thurman had been working out near his home in Monticello, Ga., and also at the University of Georgia in nearby Athens.
Because of injuries and Thurman's suspension, linebacker had been a star-crossed position for the Bengals the past two seasons. At one point in 2007, the team was forced to switch defensive end Robert Geathers to outside linebacker because of the shortage of bodies.
A starter in 2005 when he led the Bengals in tackles as a rookie, Thurman was initially suspended for four games in 2006 when he missed a scheduled drug screening. The sanction was subsequently increased to a year after Thurman was arrested on DUI charges Sept. 25, 2006.
Citing confidentiality guidelines, league and team officials declined to say last July why Thurman was not cleared then for reinstatement.
Two men in Monticello, Ga., filed a complaint last spring, alleging Thurman kicked and hit them at a party two days after he settled his drunken driving case in Cincinnati. The men later dropped their complaint, and no charges were filed.
Despite missing much of his rookie training camp because of a protracted contract impasse, Thurman appeared in 15 games in 2005, all as a starter, and registered 148 tackles, one sack, five interceptions, nine passes defensed and four forced fumbles. The former Georgia star was a candidate for defensive rookie of the year honors.
Thurman had two years left on his original rookie contract with the Bengals. The deal would have paid him $520,000 in 2008 and $615,000 in 2009. He lost $785,000 in salary during his two-year suspension.
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