At this point, I think it’s safe to say that the Cincinnati Bengals are a bigger mess than any other team in the NFL, including the Raiders and Dolphins.  The Bengals severed ties with troubled linebacker Odell Thurman after Thurman didn’t show up at several voluntary workouts because he was in Georgia tending to family issues, namely the death of his grandmother.  Thurman becomes the second Bengal released this offseason behind wide receiver Chris Henry while other stand out receiver Chad Johnson has threatened to not play for the Bengals in 2008

Thurman, who hasn’t played since 2005 because of several suspensions for smoking the hippy lettuce, was the best linebacker that the Bengals had.  Yet it wasn’t his troubled past that got his release from the Bengals but rather it was his choice to deal with family issues instead of attending voluntary workouts.  The Bengals maintain that they wanted Thurman to attend because of their new defensive scheme, but I don’t buy it.

It’s voluntary.  That’s why Jason Taylor has missed camp with the Dolphins to dance around on ABC and that’s why Chad Johnson hasn’t attended.  Thurman had 106 tackles his rookie season; I don’t think it’s a matter of his ability to adapt to a system.  Furthermore, the Bengals have limited themselves to a band of undersized and slow linebackers in Dhani Jones, Ahmad Brooks, and Rashad Jeanty.  Drafting Keith Rivers in the first round was a step in the right direction but cutting Thurman was a step back in the wrong direction.

Hosts: Kevin and Sonny. This episode discussed a number of topics. The matchup between the Cavs and Spurs was discussed, as was the Billy Donovan situation in Orlando. We also talked about the latest in NFL criminal news, including incidents involving both Tank Johnson and Odell Thurman.

You can find Episode 22 here.

It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks for the sports blog With Leather. They received lots of attention in a Washington Post article about high school pole vaulter Allison Stokke and now, they’ve been tipped on a story before any major media outlets. An anonymous tipster has reported to the blog that Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman crashed a house party and, as expected, pulled out a gun.

The incident escalated into a dangerous situation after Thurman was called out for grinding on a girl. The girl’s boyfriend then went back to his game of pool after telling him to stop. By doing that, he received a swift ass-kicking from Thurman.

Big mistake. Thurman ran up to the guy, pushed him down, and kicked the shit out of his face knocking the guy out. He then left, and moments later came back with his entourage carrying guns. Some of the people there were able to calm him down, and get him to leave for good.

It’s a real gutsy move by Thurman, a 240 pound linebacker. At least he didn’t go Pac Man Jones on us and beat the guy senseless with a pool cue. It appears that the blog has made some phone calls and has had the incident confirmed by several people at the party, including the owner of the house.

While we should take this with a grain of salt, would any incident involving Thurman be surprising at all? This is the same guy who just received a sentence for rehab and two years probation after getting a DUI. This is the same guy who also missed the first four games of the 2006 season after a failed drug test. And besides, he’s a Bengal. That should tie up any loose ends.