Former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman is playing extremely well in the United Football League (UFL) this fall.
Currently, Thurman is tied for the league lead in tackles with 14.5.
“Our special teams was outstanding…with guys like Willie Andrews and Odell Thurman, you can see why those guys were in the National Football League,” Florida Tuskers head coach Jim Haslett said after a 34-7 win against the California Redwoods Oct. 22.
The latest win improved the Tuskers’ record to 3-0 and appear to be by the far the UFL’s strongest team.
Ironically, Thurman’s linebackers coach in Florida is Chuck Bresnahan.
Thurman was the Cincinnati Bengals second-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft. That year, he went on to record 98 tackles and five interceptions. Bresnahan was the defensive coordinator that season.
Since that season, it all went down hill for Thurman and Bresnanhan.
Thurman was suspended for the first four games of the 2006 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. During that suspension, Thurman was arrested for drunk driving. As a result the NFL extended Thurman’s suspension for the reminder of the season.
The NFL denied Thurman’s request for re-instatement in the summer of 2007. A month prior, Thurman was wanted for assault in Georgia for kicking and hitting two men. In the summer of 2008, he was indicted by a grand jury for breaking a man’s jaw at waterpark.
The case in Georgia was settled out of court and charges from the waterpark incident were dismissed because of insufficient evidence.
In April of 2008 Thurman was finally reinstated in the NFL, but was waived by the Bengals a month later. A few weeks after being waived, Sports Illustrated reported that Thurman failed a drug test. Four days later, the NFL suspended Thurman indefinitely.
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