Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The Chicago Bears cut Sam Hurd on Friday, two days after the receiver was arrested on federal drug-dealing charges.
Hurd was arrested on Wednesday night at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Rosemont, Ill., and the criminal complaint against him describes the receiver as regularly dealing large amounts of drugs in Chicago.
“There’s been a wrong and we’ve acted. We have a track record of doing that,” Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. “Unfortunately a situation arose that caught us off guard but we are to the point where we are going to do the right thing. And the right thing is to cut Sam Hurd.”
The NFL said Friday that it is not aware of other players involved in the case.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy said that the NFL is closely monitoring the case. Asked about a report that authorities have a list of NFL players with a connection to Hurd, McCarthy said: “We are not aware of such a list.”
Hurd was arrested Wednesday night after authorities said he agreed to buy a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of cocaine from an undercover agent. A criminal complaint says Hurd, a sixth-year player in his first year with the Bears, wanted to set up a drug-distribution network in the Chicago area and that he took possession of the cocaine before being arrested.
U.S. Magistrate Young Kim ordered Hurd held until at least Friday while prosecutors and defense attorneys work out bond details before he is sent to Texas to face charges.
Angelo said the Bears did their research on Hurd, like they do with all of the players they target, before they signed him as a free agent over the summer.
“When we do our homework on players, we have a very sound and tested methodology that we go about researching all players from college to veteran free agents, and it starts in college,” Angelo said. “We spend an inordinate amount of time on character, making sure we know the player as well as we can. But no system is foolproof.
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WRITTEN BY Michael C. Wright covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report & FULL STORY HERE
