Crime Time

Sam Hurd, former Cowboy, pleads guilty

Former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd pleaded guilty Thursday to trying to set up a distribution network for pot and cocaine.

He faces 10 years to life in prison.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done," he said.

The Associated Press has this report.

-- Bill Miller

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/11/4768201/ex-nfl-player-hurd-pleads-guilty.html#storylink=cpy

Another Cowboy arrested for DWI -- this it's time Jay Ratliff

Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff was arrested early Tuesday morning on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after a collision involving a tractor-trailer rig on Texas 114 in Grapevine, police said.

Ratliff was released Tuesday on $500 bail on the misdemeanor offense, said Officer Sam Shemwell, a police spokesman.

Neither Ratliff nor the driver of the big rig was hurt, Shemwell said.

The responding officer gave Ratliff a field sobriety test “and formed the opinion he was intoxicated,” Shemwell said.

Ratliff refused an on-scene breath test, so officers subsequently obtained a warrant to draw a blood sample, Shemwell said.

Clarence E. Hill Jr., Carlos Mendez and Bill Miller have this report.

 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/22/4567174/cowboys-ratliff-involved-in-car.html#storylink=cpy

Former Cowboy Sam Hurd working on plea deal

Former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd is moving closer to a deal to plead guilty in the federal drug-distribution case against him, his attorney said Tuesday.

Hurd, 27, played for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys (right). He was arrested in December after allegedly accepting cocaine from an undercover agent at a suburban Chicago steakhouse.

According to The Associated Press, prosecutors filed documents Tuesday that said Hurd would plead guilty to one charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

The charge carries a recommended sentence of 10 years in prison to life.

But attorney Jay Ethington told The AP that the documents were posted prematurely. Ethington said he and prosecutors were still negotiating the terms of any plea agreement - namely which allegations Hurd would acknowledge in an eventual plea.

For the complete update, read the AP story here.

-- The Associated Press.

Former Texas Rangers player Carl Everett arrested in Florida

Former Major League Baseball player Carl Everett has been arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with a witness.

The Associated Press reports that Everett, who played as an outfield in the MLB for 14 years with teams like the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, was arrested Monday night at his suburban home in his hometown of Tampa.

Information about his arrest was not immediately available and Everett's attorney didn't respond to calls for comment.

Everett is being held without bond in the Hillsborough County Jail.

-Chance Welch

No jail for Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor

The Sports Network reports that former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor, 52, has been sentenced to six years of probation in New York on Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old girl.

Taylor had previously pleaded not guilty to charges that included third-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child in the case.

Taylor was arrested in May by police responded to a report of a rape at a Montebello, New York hotel.

Court documents in a case against the girl's alleged pimp state that Taylor admitted to having sex with the girl but was told that she was 19 years old.

Taylor spent 13 seasons with the New York Giants and was a player on two Super Bowl-winning teams before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

-Chance Welch

NFL legend Lawrence Taylor makes plea deal in prostitution case

Former NFL star Lawrence Taylor -- who was facing rape charges in a much-reported New York case -- has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of sexual misconduct and soliciting a prostitute so that he'll avoid jail time, the New York Post reported.

The hall-of-fame player, 51, had been accused of having sex with a 16-year-old runaway girl at a hotel in May in exchange for $300, the paper reported.

His lawyers have asked that he get six years' probation, but the judge will decide the terms of probation in March, the Post reported.

-- Lance Murray

Denver Broncos player charged with sexual assault

As if things couldn't get worse for the Denver Broncos football team -- they just fired their head coach -- cornerback Perrish Cox has been charged with sexual assault, the Associated Press reported.

Cox was arrested on an incident that occurred Oct. 28, according to prosecutors.

He has started eight games this year. Cox appeared Friday in court shackled at the feet and wearing a grey prison uniform, the AP reported.

-- Lance Murray

Former NFL Super Bowl star convicted of raping coed

He was a Super Bowl hero in 1991 and a Pro Bowl NFL player.

Now, former New York Giant Dave Meggett is a convicted rapist who will serve a 30-year sentence in South Carolina, the New York Post reported.

Meggett was convicted of raping a coed in January 2009 at her home. She said she owed Meggett money and that the assault was exacted as payback. He also choked her, the newspaper reported.

Meggett's lawyer had told the court that the woman agreed to have sex to pay off her debt, the Post reported.

-- Lance Murray

Report: NFL legend Junior Seau drives SUV off cliff after being arrested

Just hours after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, legendary NFL linebacker Junior Seau drove his SUV off a cliff, according to news reports.

Seau, 41, a 12-time Pro Bowl player, had been arrested early Monday in an incident that reportedly involved his live-in girlfriend.

After being released hours later from custody he drove off a cliff in Carlsbad, Calif., according to reports.

He was taken to a hospital with bruises and cuts, according to news reports.

-- Lance Murray

Coach headed back to Texas to face charges

Former Alvarado assistant football coach Cody Ledbetter (shown right and below), once a standout quarterback in college and in the pros, was on his way back to Texas on Tuesday, where he faces more than 20 years in prison, according to Johnson County authorities.

Ledbetter, who pleaded guilty in 2005 to having sex with a 16-year-old student, fled the country last year when it appeared his probation was about to be revoked. Ledbetter, 37, turned himself in to the Ottawa Police Service in Ontario, Canada, in August while accompanied by his lawyer.

Ledbetter starred as quarterback at Stephenville High School and New Mexico State University, where he led Division I-A in total offense in 1995. He also played professionally with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.

He also was accused of domestic assault involving a woman he was living with in Ottawa. Those charges have been stayed, clearing the way for his extradition to the United States, the Ottawa Sun reported.

-- Mitch Mitchell