The Irish Doggy Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 (edited) Cincinnati Enquirer story uspended Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman told a judge Wednesday he was driving drunk early on the morning of Sept. 25 when he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in the East End. He added that he struggles with alcoholism. "I am here today to accept what I did," Thurman said. "I am in treatment, trying to get everything straightened out." "Are you an alcoholic?" Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge John Burlew asked Thurman. "Yes, I am," Thurman replied. "I can't scare you into sobriety, I can't pray you into sobriety, I can't educate you into society," Burlew said. "You have to do it yourself." Thurman, 23, pleaded no contest to a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. A related OVI charge and a charge of driving on the wrong side of the road were dismissed in exchange for the plea. Burlew ordered Thurman to pay a $250 fine and spend 90 days in jail, but he delayed the sentence until June because Thurman is in alcohol treatment. Burlew said he may reduce the jail sentence if Thurman continues treatment and has no other alcohol-related offenses when he returns to court June 5. Burlew also suspended Thurman's driver's license for one year. The judge told Thurman there was no special treatment because he was a celebrity. Thurman was cited at 3:05 a.m. Sept. 25 after Cincinnati police stopped him on Kellogg Avenue in the East End. He was taken to a sobriety checkpoint, where he submitted to a breath test and registered a .18, a level more than twice the legal blood-alcohol limit of .08 in Ohio, according to Officer Chuck Beebe. In court, Beebe praised Thurman for his cooperation. "He was noticeably impaired, but he was polite and cooperative," he said. "I have made hundreds, maybe thousands of OVI arrests, (and) a lot of people blame me for ruining their life. "He lost a lot and never blamed me," Beebe said. The NFL suspended Thurman for the season after the arrest because it was his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. "You've embarrassed the National Football League and the Bengals," Burlew told Thurman. "People are mad at you because you affected the team." Burlew asked Thurman if he had a plan when he started out on the NFL. "Yes, I did," Thurman said. "How's that working out?" Burlew asked. "Not too well right now," Thurman said. Edit: Ugh, BJ please fix his name in the title. Edited February 22, 2007 by The Irish Doggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Man, this kid keeps saying all the right things, but then his actions keep belying his real character. IF he can keep himself clean & sober, and IF he can complete treatment, I'd bet the judge suspends the sentence pending no future trouble. This kid could be a monster LB at the NFL level, and he just keeps shooting himself in the foot. I wish I had known he was this stupid when I drafted him. I knew he had character issues, but not of this magnitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Best part of the transcript: Burlew asked Thurman if he had a plan when he started out on the NFL. "Yes, I did," Thurman said. "How's that working out?" Burlew asked. "Not too well right now," Thurman said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Is Lewis going to trade Thurman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted February 22, 2007 Author Share Posted February 22, 2007 Is Lewis going to trade Thurman? To who? Budweiser? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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