Odell Thurman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Free Agent — No. -- | |
| Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: July 9, 1983 | |
| Place of birth: Monticello, Georgia | |
| Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Weight: 235 lb (107 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2005 for the Cincinnati Bengals | |
| Career history | |
| College: Georgia | |
| NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48 | |
Teams:
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| Current status: Suspended | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Odell Lamar Thurman (born July 9, 1983 in Monticello, Georgia) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.
Thurman was suspended for two seasons with the Bengals for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
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[edit] Early years
Thurman's mother, Joyce Bland, died in a 1993 automobile accident, and his father, Otis Thurman, died in 2003 from liver and kidney failure. He was raised by his paternal grandmother, Betty Thurman, in a household of seventeen in rural Georgia. Odell Thurman attended Monticello High School in Monticello, Georgia.[citation needed] While there, he was a Macon Telegraph first team All-Purpose All-State selection at both linebacker and fullback, and won Class AA honorable mention All-State honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and was invited to play in the 2001 Georgia-Florida all-star game. As a senior, he rushed for 1,187 yards and recorded 153 tackles. His high school football coach was Steve Patterson.
[edit] College career
Odell Thurman played just two years and 23 games at the University of Georgia. Still, he was named an All-SEC player. Thurman was also a semi-finalist for the 2004 Dick Butkus Award. However, he entered the NFL draft after his junior season. The signature play of his career at Georgia came in the 26-7 win over Auburn in 2003. With Georgia leading 19-0, Auburn drove down to the Georgia 2 early in the fourth quarter. On third and goal, then-Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell (now of the Washington Redskins) threw a pass, which was deflected and intercepted by Thurman. He returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Cincinnati Bengals
Thurman was selected 48th overall, in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Odell Thurman, while he made typically rookie mistakes, became a popular and productive addition to a significantly improved Bengals defensive unit. Thurman intercepted five passes and was a candidate for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Ultimately, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman won the award.
[edit] Ben Roethlisberger controversy
During the Bengals' December 4, 2005 game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, Odell Thurman collided with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The hit resulted in a roughing the passer penalty and a "minor knee injury" to Roethlisberger.[citation needed] Roethlisberger was upset about the hit,[citation needed] claiming it was intentional, however, Steelers center Jeff Hartings stated that he had actually inadvertently tripped Thurman, which was confirmed by video of the play. Thurman was not fined by the NFL. [1]
[edit] Drug and alcohol problems
Odell Thurman was suspended by the National Football League for the first four games of the 2006 regular season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. According to sources,Odell Thurman did not return to Cincinnati in time and failed to take the test. [2], [3]
Gerard said there were two other Bengals players in the car with Thurman, but he did not name them. The car belonged to "another Bengal," not Thurman, Gerard said. [4]
On September 27, 2006, the NFL extended Thurman's suspension for the remainder of the season as a result of the arrest. [5] Thurman's locker was emptied by the Bengals organization. Coach Marvin Lewis said he didn't want to see Odell Thurman anywhere near the stadium, and he then deactivated Chris Henry for the next game for being part of the incident. Lewis has since stated that he doesn't expect Thurman to play for the Bengals in 2007.[citation needed]
On February 21, 2007, Thurman pleaded no contest to the driving drunk charge and said he was undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse.[6]
On May 15th, 2007, Bengals' head coach Marvin Lewis told ESPN that Thurman would have the chance to return to the team, if reinstated by the NFL. Thurman will be eligible for reinstatement on July 11, 2007. It was suspected that the organization would cut Thurman from the roster, but Lewis said otherwise. [7]
On June 5th, however, ESPN reported that he was allegedly wanted for assault in Georgia along with kicking and hitting two men. As it turns out, Thurman and his brother were sought for questioning in connection with said assault. The sherriff involved in the case said that the incident was not quickly reported and that a magistrate would choose whether or not to continue with the charges on June 8th 2007. Conflicting reports from witnesses at the party where the assault allegedly occurred however may make prosecution of this case difficult. [8]
On June 8th, 2007, papers seeking to dismiss the charges stated above were filed, and charges against the linebacker were summarily dropped. Chrissy Pitts, deputy clerk of Magistrate Court in Jasper County, said "It was settled, we aren’t aware of any terms that were involved in the settlement. That was between the attorneys and the parties.” [9]
On July 25th, 2007, Thurman's request for re-instatement into the NFL was denied by commissioner Roger Goodell, meaning that he will not be able to play in 2007[10]. Thurman is not currently listed on the Bengals' active roster, and another Bengals player, fellow linebacker Corey Mays, currently wears his number.
On May 18th 2008, Thurman was in a light of another legal inquest. After he had allegdly stolen his brothers car , and was drink driving on his suspended license. Thurman was kept in a cell for 11 hours, and was forced to pay over $3500 of fines for driving under the influence and resisting arrest. He was on the verge of getting jail time for the stealing of the car - however his brother did not press charges. 2 days after this inquest on May 20th 2008, one of the policeman involved in the arrest a Thurman claimed that Thurman and his friend attacked him with a metal pole, however Thurman was never charged for this.
[edit] NFL Reinstatement
On January 28th 2008, The NFL cleared linebacker Odell Thurman to resume working out with the Cincinnati Bengals, a step toward reinstatement from his two-year suspension.[citation needed]
Thurman was reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on April 21, 2008. "Odell has met the NFL's conditions for reinstatement and has been added to our offseason roster," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. [11]
On May 19th 2008, the Cincinnati Bengals waived Thurman, after Head Coach Marvin Lewis stated that the team "had not seen the right steps taken by him." However, Thurman's representatives reported that the move was related to Thurman missing Offseason Training Activities (OTA's), which are not mandatory according to the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement.[12]
On June 2, 2008, Sports Illustrated reported Odell, recently cut by the Bengals, had failed his second drug test in 3 seasons. [13]
On June 6, 2008, ESPN reported Odell had been suspended by the NFL indefinitely. As part of the ruling, Thurman cannot apply for reinstatement until after the 2008 season. [14]
[edit] References
- ^ http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051210/SPT03/512100373/-1/BACK01
- ^ Odell Thurman Suspended - 4 Games - NFL (HTML). PFCritics.
- ^ Page 2 : First person: Odell Thurman (HTML). ESPN.
- ^ The Enquirer - This article is no longer available
- ^ globeandmail.com: NFL suspends Odell Thurman for season
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/CIN/10012576
- ^ ESPN - Lewis: Thurman has chance to return if reinstated - NFL
- ^ USATODAY.com
- ^ Assault complaint against Bengals’ LB dropped - NFL - MSNBC.com
- ^ The Enquirer - This article is no longer available
- ^ NFL reinstates LB Thurman after two-year suspension
- ^ ESPN - Thurman's rep: Release by Bengals came after dispute over family issue - NFL
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
