CHICAGO — Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd was in federal custody Thursday, charged with
attempting to set up a drug-dealing network
once authorities arrested him with a kilogram of cocaine
throughout a sting.
Hurd was arrested Wednesday night
once meeting with an
emissary at a Chicago restaurant,
consistent with a criminal
criticism that claims the player was
initial identified as
a possible drug dealer over the summer
as the NFL lockout was
returning to a
finish.
Hurd told the agent that he was
fascinated by buying 5 to
ten kilograms of cocaine and
one, 000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute
in the Chicago
area, the
criticism said. He allegedly said he and a co-conspirator already distribute
about four kilos of cocaine
each week,
however their
supplier couldn't carry on together with his demands.
Hurd told the agent "his co-conspirator is
accountable of doing
the bulk of the deals"
while he
centered on "higher-end deals," the
criticism said. He agreed to pay $25,000
for each kilogram of cocaine and $450 a pound for the marijuana,
consistent with the charges, and then said he
could buy a kilo of cocaine
once "he gets out of
apply." He walked out of the restaurant with the package and was arrested.
The criminal
criticism was filed in Texas, where the U.S. attorney said Hurd faced up to
40 years in
prison and a $2 million fine if convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute
quite 500 grams, or
[*fr1] a kilogram, of cocaine.
Hurd was scheduled
to form his initial court
look later Thursday. It wasn't immediately known
whether he had an attorney and his agent, Ian Greengross,
did not come back messages. The NFL said
it was looking into the incident
while the NFL Players Association declined to comment.
Coach Lovie Smith said the arrest was a disappointment and a "total surprise," adding that Hurd was still a member of the Bears for
now.
"Sam wasn't in
conferences this morning
and that is how from there
of course we tend to started
looking out attempting to find out why a player
would not be here," Smith said. "There was no tipoff,
didn't are aware of it was
returning."
Smith said there was no reason to believe Hurd had
issues when the Bears signed him before the season.
"No issues, no reason. i'm in shock over it. I never saw it returning," Smith said. "But rather like i believe i know most of you, you don't extremely apprehend what people do once you're not with them. but i know that anyone we tend to bring through here, we've had an extensive search to search out out everything, if there's one thing out there, and that wasn't the case. There was nothing we tend to knew about Sam."
Hurd, a 26-year-old native of San Antonio who played faculty ball at Northern Illinois, played for five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and is in his 1st season with the Bears. He has contributed totally on special groups, enjoying in 77 games overall with six starts and two career touchdowns. He has played in twelve games this year, catching eight passes for 109 yards.
The complaint says an informant tipped off authorities in Texas in July, leading to an investigation within which an unidentified acquaintance of Hurd's "negotiated" for approximately five kilograms of cocaine on the player's behalf. The acquaintance wanted to shop for the medication quickly to require it to a "northern destination that very same day," the complaint said.
The Bears agreed to a three-year manage Hurd reportedly value up to $5.15 million, as well as a $1.35 million signing bonus and base pay this season of $685,000.
The deal was announced on July twenty nine – the day when federal authorities say he had agreed to a "consensual interview" with Homeland Security investigators over $88,000 in cash that had been seized in an exceedingly automotive he owned in the Dallas space. the cash was within a canvas bag that authorities said was covered in an exceedingly plant-like material that tested positive for "properties of marijuana."
The acquaintance told authorities that Hurd "routinely leaves giant amounts" of money in his vehicles, while Hurd said the cash was indeed his and that he had given the automotive to his acquaintance, a automotive search employee, for maintenance and detail work.
Hurd showed authorities a bank statement he said showed he had withdrawn $88,000 from his account,
but authorities said it did "not
reflect the transactions and amounts" he claimed.
Teammates said they were
stunned.
"It's a
scenario that you don't, I don't,
need anybody to be in,
particularly an in depth friend, a teammate that
i have been playing with now for four or
five years," said wide receiver Roy Williams, who played with Hurd in Dallas before being reunited on the Bears this year. "Especially
a bloke from Texas with a wife and a daughter. ...
i know it's to be
tough for him
as a result of he has his family."
Linebacker Brian Urlacher said it's
unhappy for Hurd, who he
referred to as a {good|an honest|a decent} teammate and good guy.
but he said it
won't have an effect on the team's play.
"Football-wise
it isn't attending to be
a difficulty," Urlacher said. "We'll
leave there and
practice like
we tend to do
a day and hopefully
put it behind us when Sunday gets here."
In 2009, four years into his NFL career, Hurd established a charitable organization, Running with the Hurd,
aimed at mentoring
kids. The organization sponsored a
football camp
in the South Texas
town of Harlingen last year.
In 2008, Hurd's sister, Jawanda Newsome, told the San Antonio Express-News that her brother was paying
to fix up their parents' home
as well as covering his younger brother's junior
faculty tuition.
Newsome said she worried
about her brother
as a result of he was
so at risk of give his
cash away.
"Everyone
is aware of he
incorporates a generous heart and
is not the sort of person
to say no," said Newsome, who
did not immediately
come back calls Thursday. "I
quite get upset
as a result of people make the most of him."
Linebacker Lance Briggs said the Bears were
attending to focus on practice and Sunday's home game against Seattle.
"You hate
to visualize this happen to anyone.
that's just it.
we tend to all
build mistakes," Briggs said. "You
don't go through a
football season
while not distractions. Distractions are expected.
this is a game where we're professionals and
you have to approach it that
method.
"There's a sports
side,
there is a business
side and then
there is a personal
side. And, when it
involves business as
a professional,
you have to require care of business."
