Thurman said he was driving because the others he was with "had more than I did.'' The officer gave Thurman a field sobriety test and put him in the back of the police cruiser.   He was brought to a checkpoint operated by the Cincinnati Police and Ohio State Patrol and submitted to a breath test.  Thurman blew a .17, which is considered a high-tier reading, said Officer Stephen Lawson of the Cincinnati Police Traffic Section. The .17 is more than double Ohio’s legal blood-alcohol limit of .08.  Thurman was released to a sober driver, Lawson said.

Thurman, 23, was charged with OVI, Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated (OVI). He is to appear in Hamilton County DUI Court on Monday, Oct. 2.  Thurman was stopped in the 3800 block of Kellogg Avenue after a Cincinnati Police officer saw him drive on the left side of a double yellow line.  Thurman is currently serving a four-game suspension for a second violation of the NFL substance abuse policy, stemming from a failed test which was believed to be a missed test.  He is eligible to come off the suspended list and re turn to practice Oct. 2, one week from today. The Bengals played their third game Sunday, a 28-20 victory at Pittsburgh, to improve to 3-0.  Thurman, under terms of his suspension, is not allowed to be in the stadium on game day. The team flew home on a charter flight immediately after the game, and Thurman was believed to have hooked up with some teammates to celebrate the victory.

The Bengals’ standing policy is to not comment on players’ legal issues until they are resolved in the court system.