Thurman gone, not forgotten

Linebacker Odell Thurman, waived Monday by the Bengals, who waited out his two-season NFL suspension, was recalled today by a couple of his teammates.

"He had the talent and let it go to waste. His mindset just wasn't in the place. I wish him the best, whatever he does. But he had the opportunity to be here and be one of the best, but he didn't capitzlize on the opportunity." -- Safety Dexter Jackson.

"It's tough, it's tough. Odell was a well-liked guy on the team, had possibly more talent than anybody we've seen come through here. So it's tough to lose an athlete like that, a guy like that, and a draft pick. I mean, you only get so many second-round draft picks and when you only get one year out of them, it affects your team tremendously. It's just tough to lose the player that he was, and you really can't replace him." -- Quarterback Carson Palmer.

Walking off the field after today's offseason practice, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis spoke with reporters and was asked several questions about Thurman:

Question: Why did you waive Odell?
Lewis: "We made the statement, and Odell is no longer on this football team."

Q: The agent (Safarrah Lawson) said you told him that Odell had not been around enough. True?
Lewis: "That's not true."

Q: If that is not the truth, what is the truth?
Lewis: "I kind of said in the statement we're going without him. He has not played football in two years. And we have people who will be better for our football team."

Q: His representative (Lawson) told us that he wasn't around enough. Is that correct?
Lewis: "Not true."

Q: Lawson said he was disappointed that the Bengals waived Thurman right after his grandmother died.
Lewis: "His grandmother's been buried for quite a while. Don't get into his whole family structure. We've been patient enough with Odell, and he's no longer here. No big deal."