Former Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd saw his career come to an end in December of 2011 after he was arrested for attempting to purchase a large amount of coke. Hurd was slapped with a 15-year prison sentence Wednesday (Nov. 13) evening, although his legal team is looking to fight back with an appeal.
Hurd, 28, was arrested in Chicago trying to purchase and distribute a kilo of powder, along with a large amount of kush. Initially pleading not guilty, Hurd violated his bond agreement twice in 2012 after testing positive for kush. In April of this year, Hurd switched his plea to guilty ahead of yesterday’s trial.
Sports Illustrated‘s MMQB did a revealing piece on Hurd’s case, including breaking down the player’s perceived connection with a violent Mexican cartel known as the Zetas. Although Hurd claimed throughout his ordeal that he was not a drug kingpin, the language used in the conversation suggested the Texas Native knew more about the trade than he let on.
Speaking to an undercover agent after an investigation was launched in the summer of his arrest, Hurd unwittingly admitted to already moving narcotics in the Chicago area.
Hurd faced a stiffer sentence of 27 to 34 years, but U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis gave him lesser time compared to the federal sentencing guidelines. At the time of his arrest, Hurd was in the last year of a three-year $5 million contract, and Judge Solis expressed disappointment at the player, who was then playing with the Chicago Bears.
“You had everything going for you,” Solis told Hurd, adding that he thought the case was a “tragedy.”
Hurd didn’t help himself after getting caught trying to buy more narcotics from his cousin, Jesse Tyrone Chavful, after his arrest and return to San Antonio. The Bears booted Hurd from the team and he had been battling the case since.
Hurd’s mother says her son intends to appeal the sentence, but federal guidelines say he must serve 85 percent of his time before being considered for parole.
[TSS]
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Photo: Chicago Tribune
