Odell Thurman

IF YOU GO What: Las Vegas Locomotives vs. Florida Tuskers When: 6 tonight Where: Sam Boyd Stadium Tickets: $7; unlvtickets.com Two months ago DeDe Dorsey was a star on the HBO reality series ÒHard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals.Ó In the showÕs finale the running back became the final player to make the roster. But before the BengalsÕ first game, Dorsey was cut to make room for first-round draft choice Andre Smith. ÒI guess thatÕs just how it went,Ó Dorsey said. ÒThey needed a spot for Andre.Ó It didnÕt take long for Dorsey to land another starring role — on the Las ... Read Full Story

On his first night in town, Rey Maualuga realized he was already popular. The Cincinnati Bengals did a teleconference with nearly 5,000 season ticket holders, who got a chance to ask questions of the top draft picks. Who got the most questions? The linebacker from Southern California, by far. When the Bengals took him with the 38th overall pick, Maualuga was angry that he had dropped to the second round. When he flew to Cincinnati for a weekend rookie minicamp, he was still stinging over the perceived slight. It didn't take him long to get over it. "I was upset, but that was the ... Read Full Story

Filed under: Bengals , NFL Fans Never woulda thought Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman could be the reason the all-powerful NFL might have to reconsider how it metes out punishment to players who violate the league’s substance-abuse policy . [Thurman] has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, asserting that the N.F.L. declined to reinstate him because officials believe he is an alcoholic. That, his complaint says, violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which categorizes people as disabled if they have a record of alcoholism and have received treatment. Just going on this information, it seems Thurman has been wronged. But there are ... Read Full Story

In a move that will upgrade their defense a great deal, the Cincinnati Bengals are getting back linebacker Odell Thurman, as he has been reinstated by the league after two years away from the game. Thurman missed the last two seasons due to violations of the NFL substance abuse policy. The Bengals put out a statement about their LB coming back to the team earlier today. “Odell has met the NFL’s conditions for reinstatement and has been added to our offseason roster,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement released by the club. “It is now up to Odell to continue to ... Read Full Story

In a move that comes as a shock considering how the Bengals need help on defense, today they released troubled linebacker Odell Thurman. The move is a total surprise to Thurman and his agent, who spoke out about it in the Cincy Enquirer. “The support he got from the fans, from the people of Cincinnati, from Marvin Lewis and (team president) Mike Brown, this comes as a surprise,” Lawson told the paper. It may be that the Bengals simply did not want to invest the time and energy into Thurman, and also the questions about bringing a troubled player who had been suspended for ... Read Full Story