Athlete Hall Of Shame
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Very Shameful
June 20, 2008
NFL linebacker Odell Thurman hasn’t really made the most out of his opportunity the last couple years. He missed all of the 2006 and 2007 seasons after making some mistakes and he just recently got suspended for the entire 2008 season. There’s no telling what he’ll do next.
Things looked bright in the beginning for Thurman. He was drafted out of Georgia by the Cincinnati Bengals with their 2nd round pick (48th overall) in 2005. He had a pretty good rookie season playing in all 16 games and amassing 68 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 5 interceptions, and he returned 1 pick for a touchdown. Then things got ugly.
He was suspended for the first 4 games of the ‘06 season after he missed a drug screening. Then he got charged with DUI on September 25, 2006 and was suspended for the remainder of the ‘06 season. He plead no contest to the charge and was fined, had his license suspended for a year, given 2 years’ probation, and ordered to serve 6 days in an alcohol treatment program. He followed that up with being accused of assaulting two men in Georgia, along with his brother, but had the charges dropped. After that, he was denied reinstatement into the NFL and would be suspended for the ‘07 season. He was reinstated in April 2008, but the Bengals released him just a month after he came back. He didn’t attend the teams three voluntary workouts because he was attending his grandmother’s funeral in Georgia. Coach Marvin Lewis said the team was looking to go in a different direction. Earlier this month, he failed a drug test and has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He cannot apply for reinstatement until after the ‘08 season.
It’s hard to pity him. He brought this on himself like so many professional athletes do. What does anyone, let alone athletes, think they’ll gain out of drugs and alcohol? Thurman had a great future and blew it on his own stupidity. He has a long road ahead of him to show that he can contribute to a team rather than be a distraction.
If the man ever plays football in the NFL again, it will be a miracle. He showed a lot of potential in that first year, but there’s no way that could counter what followed the next three years. Very shameful.