As the shock of Chicago wide receiver Sam Hurd’s arrest for trying to allegedly acquire massive amounts of cocaine and marijuana passes its first day, we now hear further shock from those that thought they knew him. For most fans, Sam Hurd was a non-descript reserve and special teams player, part of the rank and file of the NFL. Hurd had played for 5 seasons in Dallas, and made a total of 45 catches.

Last year, Sam Hurd was named as the Ed Block Courage Award Winner for the Dallas Cowboys, an award voted on by teammates for players that exemplify traits such as courage, sportsmanship, character, dedication, and serve as a community role model. His winning an award while not being one of the top players on the team probably speaks to how teammates viewed who they thought Sam Hurd was, even if the truth was far more complicated.

Consistent with that, Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas wrote about his interactions with Hurd. Hurd was a frequent visitor at the same church Taylor attended near Dallas. Hurd would often be singing gospel tunes in the locker room. Taylor describes him as one of the nicest people he ever met, and says he had never heard him utter a profanity. From Taylor: “Of all the players I’ve met in 17 seasons of covering the Cowboys, Hurd never, ever would’ve popped up on my radar as an alleged drug dealer.”

With all of the sports-related scandals for personal behavior recently, it is pretty clear that you don’t truly know someone unless you spend every moment with them. So while the rumors that federal authorities have a list of NFL players who have bought from Hurd circulate, it’s equally clear that many, many more thought they knew a different Sam Hurd.

Previously: Sam Hurd of the Bears Arrested on Federal Drug Charges [UPDATE]
Previously: Sam Hurd’s Arrest Probably Has a Dozen (or More) NFL Players Very Nervous Right Now
Previously: The Sam Hurd Complaint: He Wanted Mexican Cell Phones So The Authorities Couldn’t Listen

[photo via Getty]