DALLAS — After serving nearly 10 years, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Sam Hurd has been released from federal prison.
The now-37-year-old had been sentenced in a Dallas courtroom to 15 years in prison in November 2013 for attempting to buy and distribute large amounts of cocaine and marijuana. He pleaded guilty to the charge earlier that year.
He was sent to a prison in Bastrop, Texas, east of Austin.
The San Antonio Express-News reported that Hurd was released from the prison on Jan. 31, 2023. Prison records show the former NFL receiver was sent to a residential reentry management (RRM) facility.
RRM facilities offer community-based services to those leaving prison to help them enter back into society.
Prior to his conviction, Hurd, who is also a San Antonio native, signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois University in 2006. He would go on to play five seasons with Dallas before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2011, which would be his last NFL season.
Hurd was arrested in December 2011 while still on the Bears' roster. In a sting operation, Hurd tried to buy a kilogram of cocaine in the Chicago area, court documents stated.
Court documents revealed Hurd told undercover agents that he wanted buy large amounts of cocaine and marijuana to sell in the area. He said he had already begun distributing drugs, according to court documents.
"I regret my actions that caused me to lose my football career that I worked at to succeed since I was seven years old," the former NFL receiver told the judge during his sentencing. "My biggest regret was ever smoking marijuana. It led from one bad decision to another bad decision."