Baylor athlete sentenced in Griffin case

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WACO, Texas, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A judge in Waco, Texas, has sentenced a former Baylor basketball player to 18 months in prison for attempted extortion against quarterback Robert Griffin III.

U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. sentenced Richard Khamir Hurd for trying to extort $1 million from Griffin, a Heisman Trophy winner who played football at Baylor before being drafted into the NFL by Washington.

Hurd, 26, pleaded guilty in September to extortion and receiving money from extortion.

Hurd, who was fined $1,000, will be permitted to surrender once it is determined where he will serve his sentence, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported. His attorney asked the judge to recommend a facility close to Houston, Hurd's hometown.

At his sentencing hearing, Hurd apologized and told Smith he knew he "messed up" and had done "something really stupid."

As he left the courthouse Wednesday, Hurd smiled and said: "Happy Thanksgiving, Sic 'em, Bears, and anything else cliche that I can throw out."

Federal court records indicate Hurd -- who played basketball for four years at Baylor -- contacted Griffin's agent and threatened to make public information that would be damaging to Griffin.