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Bears shocked by Hurd’s arrest on drug charges

It would be an understatement to say the drug arrest Wednesday night of Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd was a shock to his teammates and Bears fans.

The magnitude of the charges against Hurd is beyond shocking.

Hurd, authorities said, was trying to purchase a half-ton of marijuana and 5-10 kilograms of cocaine per week from an undercover federal agent posing as a drug supplier.

Per week.

The six-year veteran reportedly told the undercover agent that he and an accomplice currently distributed four kilograms of cocaine each week, but that his current supplier couldn’t meet their demand. He said he would pay $25,000 per kilogram of cocaine and $450 per pound of marijuana.

Hurd was arrested outside a Chicago restaurant Wednesday night after he accepted a kilogram of cocaine from a confidential informant and the undercover agent posing as a drug supplier, according to federal charges filed Thursday in Dallas. He was charged with possession of cocaine and intent to distribute it.

No one in the Bears’ organization was aware that anything was amiss until Hurd failed to show for meetings Thursday morning.

“Sam wasn’t in meetings this morning and from there we start searching and trying to find out why a player wouldn’t be here,” coach Lovie Smith said. “There was no tip-off. We didn’t know it was coming, (it was a) total surprise.

“I’m in shock over it; never saw it coming. My dealings with Sam have all been good. He’s a guy that showed up every day ready to go to work.”

Shocking, in part, because Hurd was one of the most outgoing, personable members of the team starting from Day One at training camp. That was just the day after he agreed to terms on a three-year, $4.15 million contract as an unrestricted free agent that included a $1.35 million signing bonus. The former Northern Illinois University athlete played five seasons in Dallas before joining the Bears last summer.

“I’m just shocked about the situation,” said Bears wide receiver Roy Williams, who was also Hurd’s teammate for three years with the Dallas Cowboys. “It’s a situation that I don’t want anybody to be in, especially a close friend, a teammate that I’ve been playing with for four or five years now, especially a guy from Texas with a wife and daughter. I know it has to be tough for him because he has a family.”

Hurd had a team-best 40 special teams tackles in his final two years with the Cowboys, which is why he was targeted in the off-season by Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who appeared to be the most shaken by the arrest.

“He’s been very valuable,” Toub said. “He’s been a four-phase starter for us. Solid. He’s been our (personal protector) on punt team. He’s been the captain of our punt team.

“So it’s going to take a little bit to replace him,” Toub said, his voice cracking. “We’re all shocked. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Linebacker Brian Urlacher’s comments were typical of all of Hurd’s teammates who were asked about him.

“He’s a good teammate,” Urlacher said. “Outside of here, I don’t know him very well. But he comes to work every day and practices hard and plays hard. That’s all I know of him. He’s a friendly guy. He says ‘hi’ in the hallway every time you walk by him. I walk by him 10 times a day, and he still says ‘hi’ every time. He’s a good guy.”

The bigger concern for the Bears’ organization is any possible involvement of Hurd’s teammates, a question that must be asked, given the level of the reported operation under investigation.

“You guys know most of our players around here,” Smith said after Thursday’s practice. “But with our group — I’m surprised right now — I really would be shocked if ... I just know that no one else would be involved.”

While the situation would become messier for the Bears’ organization if others are involved, it has already created a major distraction while the 7-6 team clings to tenuous playoff possibilities.

“We’re grown men,” linebacker Lance Briggs said. “You don’t go through a football season without distractions. Distractions are expected. We’re professionals, and you have to approach it that way. There’s a sports side, there’s a business side and then there’s a personal side. And when it comes to business as a professional, you have to take care of business. So it doesn’t really matter what’s going on to deflect that focus.”

The Bears will be attempting to snap a three-game losing streak at Soldier Field Sunday against the 6-7 Seattle Seahawks, who have won four of their last five games.

Smith said his team had already made an effort to put Hurd’s situation in the past.

“Players know about it,” Smith said. “But beyond that, it was business as usual around here, a typical Thursday practice. So we will not let this become a distraction for us.”

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Bears wide receiver Roy Williams, right, said Thursday he was shocked by the news that teammate Sam Hurd, left, was arrested on drug charges. They played together in Dallas before joining the Bears this season. Associated Press
Bears coaches and players all said they were shocked that wide receiver Sam Hurd was in jail Thursday on drug charges. Associated Press