Bengals: An email on Thurman from the other angle

Monday, September 25, 2006

An email on Thurman from the other angle

(I also deleted this sender's address.)

The off-field conduct of the Cincinnati Bengals , or more to the point , a select group of Bengals players is no longer merely an embarrassment to the fans it is an absolute insult !! The fact that this conduct continues clearly illustrates the depth of the problem . There is more to being an elite organization in the NFL than a winning record . The measure of a great team is its character , not being able to buy your way out of trouble by hiring the right attorney . If these players were ordinary citizens rather than athletes they would be in jail , period . I find the continuing ‘ wait and see what the league does ‘ strategy employed by the Bengals front office to be reprehensible , this conduct continues because it is allowed to continue . Would the Team’s response be the same if the players invloved were less talented ? Hasn’t been the case so far . At what point is the distraction no longer worth it ? At what point is the Code of Conduct for Bengals players actually enforced ? Do you really just expect the fans to continue showing up on Sunday and then ignore the footage of a player in handcuffs on Monday ? . A.J. Nicholson , Frostee Rucker , Matthias Askew , Eric Steinbach , Chris Henry (four times in three states if you please) and the latest ,Odell Thurman , who is currently suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy . Are you kidding ? Are we really supposed to swallow this ? We want a winning team , but not by casting aside the tradition and principles the organization was founded on .

13 Comments:

at 9/25/2006 6:07 PM

FRANK BEAVER said...

Sir, I guess I have a question as to why the officer had to take Mr. Thurman down to a sobriety check point. Another question is if (and a big IF) the second strike for Mr. Thurman was a MISSED drug test. What were or what are his conditions per NFL policy?

Also I thought that Chris Henry was to stay away from alcohol, per his bond in one of the remaining cases here in the area???
Here is what I am talking about

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, arrested on Wednesday for the fourth time since December, was ordered Thursday morning to avoid alcohol and all contact with minors during an arraignment in which the second-year veteran pleaded not guilty to three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor.
The stipulations were made by Kenton (Ken.) District Court judge Douglas Grothaus, a court spokesman said Thursday afternoon, as a condition of Henry's bond. Henry was released from the Kenton County, Kentucky jail early Wednesday evening on $2,500 bond and he faces a June 29 pretrial hearing on the charges. If he violates the conditions established by Judge Grothaus, Henry faces the possibity of having his bail revoked.

Thanks!!

Frank Beaver

at 9/25/2006 9:49 PM

Anonymous said...

After seeing the arrest video, I have a couple thoughts.

1) You may want to delete Thurman reciting his SS# as I am guessing there are privacy rights he still has.

2) I wish I could look that composed while blowing a .17. I really anticipated much more disorderly conduct and a lack of coordination out of Odell.

I know you have to draw a line (or walk one, pardon the pun), but the guy looks nervous more than anything else. The alphabet, I'll forgive. He is a football player.

The thing about a "limit" is one man's .17 is anothr man's .07. He's a big guy and I'm guessing has a pretty good tolerance.

It just stinks for him that he was probably trying to do the right thing and just ended up in a jam. Sleeping on a couch or calling a cab would have been a better choice.

at 9/25/2006 9:57 PM

Bearcat Ben said...

Here's the deal. I don't believe the vast majority of fans expect the players for the local NFL franchise to be the most morally upstanding citizens. But following the same laws every citizen is asked to abide by shouldn't be that much to expect or demand. And yet, with alarming regularity it appears some players can't meet this requirement. Perhaps more alarming is the rate of recidivism of certain players associated with the Bengals.

It's selfish from a fan's perspective to say they are hurting the team. But what these gentlemen are doing to themselves and their careers is more troubling. The average NFL career is 4 years. These aren't average NFL players I'll grant you that, but it's hard to prove how good you are when you can't practice or play. How does Odell Thurman the player improve by missing a year's worth of practice and games?

Does this story end like Cris Carter or more like Lewis Billups? That's up to these gentlemen to decide their own fate.

And .17 is all the way drunk for those who claim it's just a few drinks. Under one scenario a 230 lb man (i.e. Thurman) would have to take 12 shots over a 3 hour period to reach that level of intoxication. Not good decisions all the way around.

at 9/25/2006 10:48 PM

Anonymous said...

This may not be the same way others are thinking about this situation, but this is something that upsets me. I blame Marvin Lewis. He drafted these players we had never heard of. He let thousands of fans fall in love with Odell, Henry, etc. Even worse than that what about the childeren. I live in a neighborhood in Northern Kentucky close to both Henry and Thurman and hear stories about them both playing basketball with kids at the neighborhood park or signing autographs in their driveways. Kids look up to these guys and now are learning they can't look up to these guys because they are total losers (or shall I just say idiots). I myself was a big Odell backer and even after his summer acts I believed he would get back on track. Especially after reading his interview on ESPN PAGE2.

What I'm trying to get to is that the players should be held responsible for their action and have to be, but so should Marvin Lewis. He, at the very least, owes the public an apology.

at 9/26/2006 3:10 AM

Anonymous said...

I believe football players are still presumed to be innocent until proven guilty, so punishing anyone this morning would be a little inappropriate.

Also, the writer's claim that "anyone else" would be in jail is a bit much. These Bengals have certainly behaved poorly, but their crimes (alleged and actual), while serious, aren't of the "lock them up and throw away the key" variety.

As a fan, it's a little embarassing, but in all honesty, I just want to see the team win.

at 9/26/2006 3:12 AM

Anonymous said...

The thing that bugs me is that people, like the e-mailer, want the Bengals to do more then wait and see.

They can't. NFL rules. Innocent until proven guilty.

Until a player is CONVICTED of a crime, the Bengals can't do anything. Which means that until Odell is found guilty for the DUI, they can't do anything. They can't suspend him, they can't fine him, they can't cut him.

Now, if you want to get on the Bengals for not doing anything to players, like Chris Henry, who have been found guilty in a court of law, then you're absolutely right. There's no excuse for the Bengals not punishing Henry after he was found guilty...

at 9/26/2006 10:41 AM

Anonymous said...

Actually, the Bengals can't do anything to Chris Henry per NFL rules either. The league decides on punishments; Bengals really don't have any say in it. If the Bengals cut Henry they have to do it for on-the-field performance issues, else they would get sued. Of course, saying that Henry cannot play and cutting him would also get them sued, because he obviously can. With Askew, this wasn't an issue.

at 9/26/2006 1:30 PM

Anonymous said...

Ok here are some questions for thought.

What if, and a big if, Odell is found innocent or all the charges are dropped? That means he is still inocent in the eyes of the NFL and that would mean Marvin has no reason not to play Odell. Marvin's reaction to the media came a lot faster with this incident that ones in the past. WHY?

Then if Thruman pleads innocent on Oct. 3 and then his next date is set, say in November, wouldn't that allow him to be part of the team until he is found guilty on a date? This is a totally different case and the NFL might not be able to rule on it until everything is resolved.

Where I'm going with this is that, we all saw the video and heard the tape, or read the quotes from Thurman on the night of his OVI. We assume his guilt. But with a good attorney and some agreements.....I've seen crazier things happen. HE STILL IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY! I think even Marvin may have forgoten this and by cleaning out his locker reacted before he ritefully can.

Odell needs help, and that is for sure. But I believe Odell also needs football. If you read the ESPN PAGE2 article things get really scary if Odell doesn't have football.

at 9/26/2006 2:03 PM

Anonymous said...

The Bengals can't do anything ? Wrong , wrong , wrong !!!! Sit him down , period !! Marvin Lewis should have stepped on this issue at the beginning of camp , he didn't set the tone and now it's blown up . We'll see if Henry plays this week , if he does then Coach Lewis' speech yesterday was just a bunch of talk , and talk is cheap . The worst part is that most of the guys are a class act , we're not talking about the team as a whole , just some players , Chris Henry in particular . Is he worth it ? To put up with this week after week because he can catch a football ? I personally gave Marvin Lewis more credit than that , but with each passing day it looks like I was wrong . If he lets Chris Henry suit up and play I guess that will answer the question , we will have gone from losing to just being losers.

at 9/26/2006 3:07 PM

Anonymous said...

Anyone who says that Henry and Odell should be cut is ignorant beyond belief. The collective bargaining agreement has guidelines and stipulations for every conceivable incident in the book. The Bengals can't do anything yet. The issues will be taken care of by the cba. Also, another thought. For every bad case that we can think of, what about players that have had problems and turned their lives around and become outstanding persons in society(i.e. Chad Johnson). I like the family approach that Marvin has taken and will continue to take with misguided youth...

at 9/26/2006 9:45 PM

Anonymous said...

Was there evidence (aside from circumstantial) that Henry and/or McNeal were drunk?

at 9/27/2006 11:25 AM

Anonymous said...

While these men are involved in some very dubious behavior, I think one important item gets left out here. These men are football players by occupation. This is their JOB, a very public one, but a job nonetheless. Think about it if the rules that some here are suggesting were in effect for all of society.

If accused of a DUI, you are no longer allowed to work or be employed by your current employer.

While I think something should be done here by the Bengals, such as mandatory drug counselling, it is not right to take away someone's livelihood on the mere accusation. Convictions are a different matter, but, as others have said, we are still innocent until proven guilty, and the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.

at 9/27/2006 12:38 PM

Anonymous said...

Here's my angle...
Odell made a bad choice, no a terrible choice. What would make it worse... Quantify it.

Let's say that Odell started drinking @ 11pm, so he'd been drinking for 4-hours. Between those times, he would have had to consumed about 15-drinks for a guy 235 pounds (using the calculator on 1800duilaws.com).

You have to make better choices in your personal life, regardless of profession or otherwise. 15 drinks, you have to decide earlier than on number 15 that you're not going anywhere, anytime soon.

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Monday, September 25, 2006

An email on Thurman from the other angle

13 Comments: