The Bengals are preparing for another season without LB Odell Thurman, as they have had to prepare for eight games without WR Chris Henry, who was suspended this summer. They’ll still be a mediocre defensive unit at best, but at least they didn’t plan on having Thurman back. The real issue this time is whether Roger Goodell is being consumed by his own precedents with regard to punishments for off-field problems already.
Rog of Iron Fist refused to reinstate Thurman for the 2007 season yesterday; the linebacker had originally been suspended under the substance-abuse policy, and was then suspended for the rest of the 2006 season after an arrest for driving drunk. There’s no particular explanation for refusing reinstatement at all, but there are only three possibilities tbat make any sense whatsoever:
- Thurman’s violated the substance abuse policy again.
- A complaint lodged against Thurman about trespassing in his hometown (that was eventually dropped) is being held against him.
- Bad timing to have the request come up during the Mike Vick mess.
Goodell needs to explain why, because Thurman has effectively been suspended for two seasons for something that didn’t even garner a full season for Chris Henry or Jared Allen, who got his suspension for two DUIs knocked down from four games to two. Lord Rog is going to be hamstrung by his own sliding scale at some point, and it would serve the players well at some point to figure out that Gene Upshaw isn’t helping them much as their union head.
In forming the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, Goodell convened a group of players – including Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh – during the annual scouting combine in February in Indianapolis.
“It kind of shocked me,” Houshmandzadeh said Thursday after reporting to camp. “It’s like the commissioner’s being mean.
“It would have to be something to the effect that Odell did something we don’t know about. It would have to be because Odell didn’t meet all the requirements.”
I think T.J.’s probably hit it right on the head — Goodell is now doing this solely because he can. There’s no public consistency on this at all.
Thurman to be out for season [Cincinnati Enquirer]
The season without Thurman [Cincinnati Enquirer]
Filed under: NFL, rules, suspensions
He’s being “mean”? No wonder the players don’t see this situation for what it is.
Shouldn’t the blogosphere agree on a deragatory name for Goodell (eg. “Schrutebag”)? We should be consistent. Othwerwise, we’re no better than him.
Nice!