According to one of linebacker Odell Thurman's representatives, the Bengals released him after a dispute over the amount of time Thurman was away from the team dealing with a family matter, according to ESPN.com. Thurman's grandmother pasted away last week, but the team did not mention anything specific when announcing his release. "The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him," Bengals' Coach Marvin Lewis said. "With our offseason work in progress and new talent added at our linebacker position, we've determined it's best to keep moving in a direction that does not include Odell."