Ex-NFL player Sam Hurd sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking

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Former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd was sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking on Wednesday in Chicago.

Hurd, 28, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for his role in starting a drug-distribution scheme while playing for the Chicago Bears.

He pleaded guilty in April to one count of trying to buy and distribute large amounts of cocaine and marijuana, which carries a maximum of life imprisonment. But U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis noted that the case against Hurd centered on a “lot of agreements” to buy and sell marijuana and cocaine, rather than physical transactions of drugs.

However, the judge said, “You didn’t just start nickel and diming it.”

In a recent interview, Hurd also revealed that he smoked with and sold to some of his teammates

Hurd said he smoked and sold weed to 20 to 25 of his Cowboys teammates from 2006 to 2010. Hurd also stated that “at least half” of all NFL players, by his “conservative estimate,” smoke weed. Hurd said he began smoking while rehabbing after ankle surgery in 2008.