Our pal Mo Egger of 1530 The Homer in Cincinnati tells us that Safarrah Lawson, the agent who represents former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, said on the air today that a grievance will not be filed against the team, even though the Bengals allegedly cut Thurman because he missed voluntary workouts last week.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the union, players may not be disciplined for failing or refusing to participate in voluntary offseason workouts.

A league source tells us that there would have been no real benefit to Thurman for filing a grievance.  Calling it a “sham process” aimed at creating the illusion of recourse, the source said that a victory would have only gotten Thurman reinstated — and as a practical matter would have guaranteed a decision to include him in preseason roster cuts under the guise of poor performance relative to the other players with whom he would have been competing for a job.

Although an award of the salary he would have earned but for his release technically is available, the problem would be proving that Thurman would have earned his 2008 base salary but for being cut for not attending voluntary workouts.  “Without guaranteed salaries it is hard to make a case for monetary damages when he may not have made the team,” the source said.  “This is especially true for a player who hasn’t played much in two years.”

Thurman’s better option is to try to land with another team.  Every team will get a crack at him, from worst to best, through the waiver process.