The Houston Texans find one of their veteran players in hot water, as 2023 free agent pickup and veteran safety Jimmie Ward faces “a pending third-degree felony domestic violence charges” stemming from his arrest in June.
Ward, 34, was a first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. He signed with the Texans in free agency in 2023.
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson relayed the new details of Ward’s case.
“Ward … is the defendant in a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of his son’s mother by plaintiff’s attorney Tony Buzbee in Harris County,” Wilson wrote on August 21. “The lawsuit alleges that Ward sexually and physically assaulted the woman. She has separately accused him in a criminal case to be heard by a grand jury before Judge Lisa Michalk on Aug. 31.
“Ward, according to court records, is being sued for damages that exceed $20 million. The lawsuit accuses him of adultery and ‘violent, felonious and egregious behavior.’”
Ward was a member of the 49ers’ Super Bowl team in 2019. He followed Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans to Houston following the 2022 season. Ward is in on a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Texans.
The Texans would incur $4.6 million in dead money charges with $1 million in savings if they cut Ward, whose situation harkens back to Deshaun Watson’s in multiple ways.
Tony Buzbee & Texans: From Deshaun Watson to Jimmie Ward
GettyJimmie Ward #20 of the Houston Texans celebrates with teammates against the Detroit Lions.
Even before Ward, the Texans are familiar with Buzbee. He pursued a series of charges against Deshaun Watson, Houston’s former franchise quarterback. Watson faced accusations of repeated instances of sexual assault at massage parlors, beginning in March 2021.
Watson received an 11-game suspension in 2022 after he settled 23 of the 24 charges brought against him. The Texans traded him to the Cleveland Browns in March 2022.
Buzbee has since pursued several other high-profile cases.
Watson’s case also highlighted the NFL’s response to cases of players committing violence against women. The Athletic’s Jenny Vrentas wrote in July 2022 that “players pay a small price” in those instances.
Vrentas cited a “peer-reviewed study” that found no “major career consequences” for players accused of violence against women.
“Such arrests have “negligible” consequences for players as a group, the study found, based on a statistical analysis of career outcomes,” Vrentas wrote. “While the impact of arrests grew increasingly negative over the course of the 19-year period analyzed, that effect disappeared with even average or slightly below-average on-field performance levels.
“Watson never faced criminal charges in connection with the accusations of assault or harassment during massage appointments, which he has denied. While the study is based only on N.F.L. players who were charged with crimes such as domestic violence and sexual assault, its findings reflect overall attitudes toward violence against women by the league and its member teams, who decide whether to punish players after serious accusations.”
Ward was arrested on August 7 “for testing positive for alcohol,” and spent “one night in jail,” per Wilson. That further clouds the situation for Ward and the Texans. Wilson also noted the veteran is accused of being “under the influence of … crystal meth.”
NFL Keeping Eye on Jimmie Ward Situation
GettyJimmie Ward #20 of the Houston Texans takes the field against the Miami Dolphins.
Both the Texans and the NFL offered preliminary statements on Ward as they awaited further details on his situation.
“We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club,” the NFL said in a statement, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson in June. “We have no further comment at this time.”
The league has a tendency to let the legal process play out before taking action.
Whether or not Ryans and Texans general manager Nick Caserio do the same is unknown.
“We are aware of the report involving Jimmie Ward,” Texans senior director of communications Omar Majzoub said on behalf of the team, per the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander in June. “We are gathering more information and have no further comment at this time.”
The Texans placed Ward on the physically unable to perform list in July. He has yet to return to practice.
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