There are few seething balls of pent up rage for whom I hold great affection. But 2002-2003 Odell Thurman is one of them.
Thurman came to Georgia from Monticello, and by the time he arrived had already taken some hard hits. He lost both parents at a young age. He struggled at times to stay out of trouble and in the classroom, but found refuge on the football field.
I had the good fortune to work in Jasper County while Thurman was starring on the gridiron in Athens. The town rallied around him in the way only a small town can truly embrace one of its own.