After a two-year hiatus from the NFL, Odell Thurman was ready to rectify his previous problems off the field by becoming an upstanding citizen. As it has been chronicled on this site, yeah, members of the Cincinnati Bengals have had a "few" brushes with the law. But Thurman has kept a low profile.
Today, Thurman was released by the Bengals for lack of attendance during the off-season workouts. Thurman's reason was that he was handling family business in Georgia. His grandmother recently passed away and he was still mourning with his family, etc. When issues with family arise, I understand taking the necessary time to adjust and start back on the path towards healing.
My issue with Marvin Lewis is how he responded to the situation.
Here is his quote via ESPN:
"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," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "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."
I don't have a lot of respect for Marvin for his nonchalant attitude toward a player who was ready to repay him for the faith that was put into him from the management, which led to his reinstatement. Marvin Lewis has proved that he is a little lost when it comes to leadership.
In what seems like a deeper hole Marvin continues to dig himself into, lets see what happens by week 8 with his weak defense, which we thought was his specialty.
When Odell is picked up, I hope he circles the date that the Bengals are on the schedule.
My prediction is that Marvin Lewis will spend next season on a Division 1 sideline.
Lewis has no spine and is a lame duck coach. You could grab me, any of my homies, or any writer off BSO to coach/manage the Bengals and end up with a better team and healthier lockeroom than Lewis created. He got lucky that he ran into Ray Lewis early in his career who did his job for him. He might be an ok coordinator but as a coach he has no idea whats going on. Expect a mass exodous from Cincy next year. Good luck keeping your free agents. I bet Carson is marking the days on his calendar until he can opt out.
I hate em I hate em I hate em
I hope Cincy goes 0-16