CINCINNATI (AP) -Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman was sentenced Friday to six days in a treatment program, settling his drunken driving conviction.
Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge John Burlew also put Thurman on two years’ probation. Thurman is still suspended by the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy.
Thurman was one of nine Bengals arrested during a nine-month span, a streak that made Cincinnati the leading example of player misconduct in the NFL. He and receiver Chris Henry are still suspended by the league.
Thurman, a second-round draft pick in 2005, had five interceptions and led the team in tackles as a rookie. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2006 season after skipping a drug test, and had the suspension extended to the full season following his arrest for drunken driving last September.
He pleaded no contest to driving drunk in February. Burlew sentenced him to 90 days in prison, but offered to reduce the sentence if Thurman got treatment for alcohol abuse and stayed out of trouble.
The judge agreed Friday to suspend all but six days of the sentence, and allowed Thurman to serve those six days at a local treatment center. His stay will be scheduled by the county’s probation department.
Thurman can apply for reinstatement for next season. Henry, who was arrested four times in 14 months, has been suspended for the first eight games of next season.
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