HARMONIZING THURMAN, ROBINSON SITUATIONS
Plenty of readers have asked us how in the world Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was so swiftly and abruptly suspended for one year for violating the substance abuse policy while Packers receiver Koren Robinson is still playing football despite basically engaging in the same conduct.
Thurman had been serving a four-game suspension for violation of the substance abuse policy. Within days after a DUI arrest, the suspension was extended to a full season.
Robinson served a four-game suspension in 2004, and per published reports he still was in Stage Three of the program. Thus, one more violation of the policy should trigger a one-year banishment. In August, Robinson was arrested for DUI, reckless driving, and felony fleeing after leading police on a lengthy chase at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.
As far as we can tell, the difference in the situations arises from the specific restrictions placed on Thurman when his four-game suspension was imposed. There often is negotiation between the league, the NFLPA, and the player when the time comes to imposing discipline under the substance abuse policy. Just like a criminal prosecution or any other legal proceeding, it often makes sense to resolve a situation informally. It provides certainty, and it frees up all interested parties to work on and worry about other things.
In this case, our guess is that there was a agreement between Thurman and the league that if he made one more false move his four-game suspension automatically would be extended to a full season. There's simply no other way that it all could have happened so swiftly. The most telling point in this regard, in our view, is that Thurman hasn't been banished for a full year as of Wednesday. Instead, Thurman is getting credit for the three games he already has missed (and the fourth one he would have missed anyway on Sunday) as part of the total 16-game suspension.
We're not saying that Robinson won't ultimately be suspended for a year. The wheels very well might be in motion. But, in Thurman's case, we think that the ball was already on the tee.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Thurman will be welcome in Cincinnati, if/when he is reinstated to the NFL. His locker has been cleaned out and reassigned, and coach Marvin Lewis says, "We've told him not to be around here."
And it's not as if reinstatement is a lock. Thurman needs to comply with random testing requirements and other aspects of his treatment plan during his banishment. If he fails, the suspension will be extended -- just as it was for running back Onterrio Smith.
