MONTICELLO, Ga. (AP) _ Two Georgia men who accused suspended Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman of kicking and hitting them at a party have dropped their complaint.
Chrissy Pitts, deputy clerk of Magistrate Court in Jasper County, Ga., said Friday that papers seeking to dismiss the case were being filed by the complainants.
Pitts said she did not know what prompted their decision not to move forward with their accusations.
``It was settled,'' Pitts said. ``We aren't aware of any terms that were involved in the settlement. That was between the attorneys and the parties.''
A hearing on the accusations against Thurman had been set for Friday, but was cancelled because of the dismissal. Thurman had not been charged with a crime, but a magistrate had been expected to hear testimony to determine if charges should be filed.
Two men filed a complaint Sunday with police in Monticello, 100 kilometres southeast of Atlanta, accusing Thurman of assaulting them early Sunday following an argument at a home. The men accused Thurman's brother, Willie Thurman, of threatening them with a gun.
The NFL suspended Thurman for the first four games of 2006 after he skipped a drug test. The suspension was extended to a full season following his arrest on a drunken driving charge in September. Thurman is one of nine Cincinnati players to be arrested in the past year.
Thurman can apply for reinstatement for this coming season, although earlier this year Bengals coach Marvin Lewis refused to talk about whether Thurman still figured in the team's plans.
Thurman played two seasons at Georgia and was drafted by Cincinnati in the second round of the 2005 draft. He led the Bengals in tackles that season with 148.
