The NFL Goes Big Brother on Odell Thurman

by WCK, 100% Injury Rate

News has just recently broken that Odell Thurman has been suspended for the entire 2007 season.

Thurman, a second-round pick out of Georgia who led the team in tackles as a rookie in 2005, was hit with a four-game suspension to begin the 2006 season for a substance abuse violation, but his drunken driving arrest in September 06 caused the league to extend the suspension for the full season. He was accused of assualting two men in Monticello, Georgia in February of this year, but the men dropped their complaint and charges were never filed.

Thurman had been expecting to be reinstated in time for the start of training camp, which opens today with the Bengals reporting in preparation for Friday's first practice. For the past month, Safarrah Lawson, one of Thurman's representatives, has been saying that Thurman met the requirements of the league's substance abuse policy. Lawson had no comment Thursday.

There's also no word from the NFL about what specifically Thurman has been suspended for, but it appears to be something in regards to the league's substance abuse policy.

This is because NFL spokesman Greg Aiello cited the privacy provisions of the substance abuse policy when he gave a no comment on what reasons commissioner Roger Goodell may have had for denying Thurman.

Since we're right at the beginning of this, I don't want to speculate on what happened with Thurman. But I will say this. The NFL has started to take an incredibly draconian stance in dealing with players since Goodell became commissioner. I can't be the only one that's starting to think that Goodell and the league are starting to get a bit out of control with their heavy-handed tactics.

It's better if Goodell just announces what Thurman has been suspended for. Otherwise, the term "Big Brother" might start to become synonymous with the NFL.