CINCINNATI (AP) -Troubled linebacker Odell Thurman was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, one month after he was reinstated by the NFL from a two-year suspension.
Thurman failed to attend the team's three voluntary workouts last week, when he was in Georgia following the death of his grandmother. The Bengals are installing a new defense, and wanted him to participate.
``I was just told by coach (Marvin) Lewis that he hadn't been in the building enough since his reinstatement, and they decided to go in a different direction,'' agent Safarrah Lawson said in a phone interview.
The move came one month after the Bengals released receiver Chris Henry following his fifth arrest, an indication that the team is taking a hard line on player conduct. Eleven Bengals player have faced criminal charges in the last two years.
Thurman, a second-round draft pick from Georgia, showed promise as a rookie in 2005, when he led the team in tackles and led all NFL rookies with five interceptions. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2006 season after failing to show up for a drug test. The punishment was extended to a full season when he was later arrested for drunken driving.
Commissioner Roger Goodell turned down his request for reinstatement and kept him out of football for the 2007 season as well. Thurman was allowed to resume working out with the team in January, and was fully reinstated on April 21.
Thurman had been working out at Paul Brown Stadium, but went to Georgia for the funeral of his grandmother, who had raised him. He was expected back last week for workouts, but remained in Georgia taking care of matters involving his grandmother, Lawson said.
The Bengals are installing a new defense under coordinator Mike Zimmer. They drafted Southern California linebacker Keith Rivers in the first round, and were looking at ways to shuffle their linebackers.
``The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him,'' Lewis said in a statement. ``With our offseason work in progress and new talent added at our linebacker position, we've determined it's best to keep moving in a direction that does not include Odell.''
Lawson was surprised by the release.
``Odell traveled a long, hard road to get back, to get reinstated,'' Lawson said. ``It's unfortunate that, ultimately, the death of his grandmother sidetracked him and made football not the No. 1 priority over the last month.''
