Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd has been arrested in a sting operation after allegedly buying a kilogram of cocaine from a federal agent. Hurd was taken into custody after he tried to leave a Chicago restaurant with the drugs; he had requested a supply of 10 kilograms of cocaine and 453 kilograms of marijuana on a weekly basis to sell throughout Chicago.
The 26-year-old Hurd played five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and during the off-season signed a three-year deal with the Bears worth $5.1 million. Known for his deep religious beliefs and strict attendance of a church in south Dallas, it appears now that Hurd was unsatisfied with his multi-million dollar salary and was looking to moonlight in order to make more cash.
Team-mates have expressed frustration with Hurd and the fact that it appears he has never seen an episode of the critically acclaimed HBO series, The Wire, an authentic portrayal of the drug trade in Baltimore. In the show, drug-dealers often suspect law enforcement officials of trying to infiltrate their operations.
Hurd has been immediately stood down by the Bears. A spokesman for the team spoke of the franchise’s disappointment with their second-string receiver. “What we have here is a person who can’t tell the difference between a legitimate drug wholesaler and federal narcotics law enforcement agent. Obviously, he’s not a rocket scientist…We’re not dealing with Marlo Stanfield here.”
The NFL is also looking into the incident. A spokesman for the League said, “We’re concerned by this. Maybe $5 million over three years isn’t enough for second-rate players who spend around three minutes on the field per-game. It seems like a lot of players are getting desperate living on these salaries and they’re being forced to move into illegal activities in order to maintain their lavish lifestyles. ”
In Dallas, where Hurd maintains a residence, neighbours have long suspected Hurd was living beyond his means – despite his salary being 49 times larger than the average US wage. One neighbour said of Hurd, “I became suspicious when I saw a truck pull up next to his house. It seems he was taking delivery of several taxidermy animals. I spotted tigers, gazelles, bears and what looked like a panda. When I asked him about it, he said they ‘were just to spruce up the den.’”
Hurd’s arrest has also been the talk of many Chicago-area drug kingpins. The consensus seems to be that Hurd broke the golden rule of drug-dealing. A Chicago dealer who spoke to The Public Apology said, “Number one priority with a connect – make sure they don’t turn out to be federal law enforcement agents.”
He also had a warning for any other NFL players looking to move into the industry, “You saw what happened to Avon Barksdale when his connect was not good. Stringer Bell had to go to Proposition Joe for a good package and that set off a whole chain reaction that eventually lead to the falling out between Stringer and Avon – and then they were history.”
By Nick Gordon