AggieJohn
09-25-2006, 12:40 PM
Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was cited at 3:05 a.m. today and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Thurman was stopped in the 3800 block of Kellogg Avenue in the East End after a Cincinnati Police officer saw him drive on the left side of a double yellow line.
A videotape of the traffic stop was released this morning by Cincinnati police.
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The officer asked Thurman to step out of the car and asked him how much he had to drink.
"I had a couple of beers,'' Thurman responded.
Thurman said he was driving because the others he was with "had more than I did.''
The officer gave Thurman a field sobriety test and put him in the back of the police cruiser.
He was brought to a checkpoint operated by the Cincinnati Police and Ohio State Patrol and submitted to a breath test.
Thurman blew a .17, which is considered a high-tier reading, said Officer Stephen Lawson of the Cincinnati Police Traffic Section. The .17 is more than double Ohio’s legal blood-alcohol limit of .08.
Thurman was released to a sober driver, Lawson said.
Thurman was one of at least three players in a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle is owned by Bengals rookie wide receiver Reggie McNeal, who was a passenger, said a source at the scene. Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was a passenger and threw up out a window of the vehicle. Neither McNeal nor Henry was cited or charged with any type of violation.
Thurman, 23, was the only occupant charged with OVI, Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated (OVI). He is to appear in Hamilton County DUI Court on Monday, Oct. 2.
Thurman is currently serving a four-game suspension for a second violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, stemming from a failed test which was believed to be a missed test.
He is eligible to come off the suspended list and return to practice Oct. 2, one week from today. The Bengals played their third game Sunday, a 28-20 victory at Pittsburgh, to improve to 3-0.
Thurman, under terms of his suspension, is not allowed to be in the stadium on game day. The team flew home on a charter flight immediately after the game, and Thurman was believed to have hooked up with some teammates to celebrate the victory.
The Bengals’ standing policy is to not comment on players’ legal issues until they are resolved in the court system.
If convicted, Thurman would be subject to additional NFL discipline, including a fine or longer suspension.
Thurman was stopped in the 3800 block of Kellogg Avenue in the East End after a Cincinnati Police officer saw him drive on the left side of a double yellow line.
A videotape of the traffic stop was released this morning by Cincinnati police.
ADVERTISEMENT
The officer asked Thurman to step out of the car and asked him how much he had to drink.
"I had a couple of beers,'' Thurman responded.
Thurman said he was driving because the others he was with "had more than I did.''
The officer gave Thurman a field sobriety test and put him in the back of the police cruiser.
He was brought to a checkpoint operated by the Cincinnati Police and Ohio State Patrol and submitted to a breath test.
Thurman blew a .17, which is considered a high-tier reading, said Officer Stephen Lawson of the Cincinnati Police Traffic Section. The .17 is more than double Ohio’s legal blood-alcohol limit of .08.
Thurman was released to a sober driver, Lawson said.
Thurman was one of at least three players in a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle is owned by Bengals rookie wide receiver Reggie McNeal, who was a passenger, said a source at the scene. Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was a passenger and threw up out a window of the vehicle. Neither McNeal nor Henry was cited or charged with any type of violation.
Thurman, 23, was the only occupant charged with OVI, Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated (OVI). He is to appear in Hamilton County DUI Court on Monday, Oct. 2.
Thurman is currently serving a four-game suspension for a second violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, stemming from a failed test which was believed to be a missed test.
He is eligible to come off the suspended list and return to practice Oct. 2, one week from today. The Bengals played their third game Sunday, a 28-20 victory at Pittsburgh, to improve to 3-0.
Thurman, under terms of his suspension, is not allowed to be in the stadium on game day. The team flew home on a charter flight immediately after the game, and Thurman was believed to have hooked up with some teammates to celebrate the victory.
The Bengals’ standing policy is to not comment on players’ legal issues until they are resolved in the court system.
If convicted, Thurman would be subject to additional NFL discipline, including a fine or longer suspension.