The Chicago Bears have dropped 26-year-old wide receiver Sam Hurd following his arrest on federal drug charges. If he’s found guilty, Hurd faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. He was arrested and charged on Dec. 14 after allegedly trying to buy cocaine and marijuana from an undercover agent. It’s believed he was looking to buy up to $700,000 worth of illegal substances each week, which is more money than he earns in a year. The Bears didn’t want to wait to find out whether or not he’s guilty and cut him on Dec. 16.
It was rumored that Hurd was supplying drugs to several NFL players, but Brett Greenfield, his defense attorney, said his client wanted to make it perfectly clear that he never sold drugs to other players. Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said the league is monitoring the situation very closely and he’s unaware of a list of NFL players that were supposedly clients of Hurd.
If it turns out that NFL players were indeed buying drugs from Hurd it will be a huge blow to the league and its image. It may also have to rethink the way that it tests players for drug use. At the moment, the charges against Hurd have caused embarrassment to the NFL, but if it’s revealed there were several players involved in buying drugs from him it will be a public relations nightmare.
Magistrate Young Kim has told Hurd that he has to surrender any firearms he has as well as his passport. The criminal complaint was actually filed in Texas and it’s understood that’s where his trial will be held. Hurd waived his preliminary hearing right and the prosecutors will now take the case to a grand jury. He was then released on a $100,000 bond.
Hurd was busted outside of a steakhouse in Chicago after allegedly telling the agent that he was interested in buying between five and 10 kilograms (11 lbs. to 22 lbs.) of cocaine each week as well as 1,000 pounds of marijuana. Hurd told the agent that he would distribute the drugs throughout the greater Chicago area. He also told the agent that he had a partner who handled most of the smaller deals while Hurd looked after the big-money transactions.
The complaint that was filed said the football player was willing to pay $450 for each pound of marijuana and $25,000 for a kilo of cocaine. He was arrested after walking out of the restaurant with a package of cocaine. His Bears teammates and the club’s GM Jerry Angelo said they were stunned when they heard the news of his arrest because there was no sign of any sort of activity involving drugs.
This was Hurd’s first season with Chicago after playing his first five years in the league with Dallas. He’s from San Antonio, Texas, and played college ball at Northern Illinois. Angelo said the club did a thorough background check on the player before offering him a three-year contract. The deal is believed to be for a maximum of $5.15 million and he received a signing bonus of $1.35 million, making his basic salary this season to be $685,000.
Homeland Security investigators spoke to Hurd a day before he signed the deal with the Bears because a car that belonged to him had been seized in Dallas and it contained a canvas bag with more than $88,000 in it. After testing the bag, it was found to contain properties of cannabis in it. Hurd told investigators that the cash was his and he had lent the car to an acquaintance to get it serviced. It’s possible that another NFL team takes a chance on Hurd while he’s awaiting trial, but it’s unlikely.
