Felony Assault Charge Dismissed Against Odell Thurman

Former Cincinnati Bengals starting linebacker Odell Thurman was granted at least a temporary reprieve from a felony assault charge as prosecutors dismissed the case today without prejudice, according to the Associated Press. However, the case could possibly be refiled if new evidence is found to substantiate an accusation that Thurman punched a man and broke his jaw at an indoor water park in Sandusky, Ohio. Thurman told law enforcement authorities that it wasn’t him [Editor’s note: it’s technically known as the “Eddie Murphy defense”] who broke the man’s jaw, saying he was in his hometown in Georgia when the fight allegedly happened. He called it a case of mistaken identity. The trial was scheduled to begin today. Thurman was drafted in the second round out of Georgia in 2005, but was suspended for two seasons for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The Bengals cut him before last season. In 2007, Thurman pleaded no contest to a DUI and told a judge he was undergoing treatment for a drinking problem. He is currently suspended indefinitely by the NFL.