GMs, Don’t Let Your Players Be Ex-Cowboys

Memo to Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo: when a player is let go by a team as crappy as the Dallas Cowboys, there is probably a reason.

For the third consecutive week, the Bears are looking like idiots thanks to the actions of a former Cowboy player.

Against Kansas City the culprit was wide “receiver” Roy Williams, whose billionth career drop deflected into the hands of a Chiefs defensive back in the end zone and deprived the Bears of a chance to tie the game, which they lost 10-3. At that point playoff hopes were officially put on life support.

Against Denver, former Cowboy running back Marion Barber was the goat, falling out of bounds as the Bears were trying to run out the clock in regulation, then fumbling as the Bears were driving into position for the winning field goal in overtime. Season over.

And now there is this.

Former Cowboy Sam Hurd put anything Williams and Barber could do — or rather, can’t do — to shame as he was arrested on charges of being a major drug distributor starting in his days in Dallas and continuing with Chicago, with whom he signed a three-year, $4.15 million deal this summer.

Amazingly — or perhaps not, given the Bears general organizational incompetence — Hurd was pulled over with marijuana and $88,000 cash in his car the day before signing his contract with the Bears.

The cops knew Hurd’s backstory was fishy — the weed “belonged to a friend,” of course — and decided to wait and see what this Hurd character was up to, which allowed them to reel in the big charges.

You may be wondering why an NFL player would be stupid enough to do something like this, but when you consider where Hurd played it makes sense. The Cowboys are treated like gods in Dallas despite the fact they haven’t actually been good since Zubaz were fashionable.

There is a history of players getting away with everything — see Michael Irvin, Nate Newton, et al — because of the fawning, permissive culture that comes with being on “America’s Team.” It breeds a false sense of invincibility. And when you look at who owns the team, that’s no surprise — humility isn’t exactly in Jerry Jones’ vocabulary.

Losing Hurd himself is no big deal, but the concern for the Bears and every other NFL team is how many players were on his distribution list. This could turn out to be the NFL’s version of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials that rocked baseball in the mid-80s.

Hopefully the past few weeks have taught the Bears an important lesson. Signing Cowboy rejects will only poison your franchise.