Former Husky Tight End Indicted on Murder Charge in Texas
Kevin Ware was the starting tight end for Rick Neuheisel's final University of Washington football team, a powerful player with a bit of a temper.
At the end of his junior season in 2001, he struck a campus police officer in an alcohol-fueled incident, for which he was punished with misdemeanor assault, ordered to comply with substance-abuse restrictions, and expressed remorse.
"It shot down my character," Ware told reporters. "I had to sit back, have a reality check and say whatever I'm doing, it's not the right way, and I had to sit down and really adjust my life. I just have to take it as a learning experience, put it behind me and don't let myself get in those situations ever again."
Two decades later, however, Ware, 41, is in trouble again, allegedly a far worse situation.
On Thursday, the former Husky and NFL player was indicted by a Texas grand jury of murder and tampering with a corpse in the death of his girlfriend, Taylor Pomaski, who disappeared in 2021 in the Houston area, according to a district attorney's office news release.
If convicted, Ware faces 15 years to life in prison. He currently is being held in a county jail.
Pomaski, 29, went missing after the couple had a violent argument during a party at his and her shared residence in the suburbs, according to witnesses. Her remains were found in December.
Ware was arrested in June after authorities stopped him for driving 115 miles per hour and detained him for bond violations.
Former UW tight end Kevin Ware faces murder charges following the death of his girlfriend Taylor Pomaski.
Harris County
Previously, he served two years in prison on drug-related charges. In April 2021, he was arrested again for possession of several controlled substances and a couple of weapons, including an AK-47, and was out on bail.
As a UW football player, Ware was the first to commit to Jim Lambright in 1999, signed with Rick Neuheisel following the coaching change, and played all four seasons in which Neuheisel ran the program.
Once in Seattle, the newcomer told how he was living in Spring, Texas, north of Houston, and was just 10 when he became a Husky fan after watching Steve Emtman-led teams win a pair of Rose Bowls and capture a national championship.
"That was right when I started to get into football and they inspired me so much I just followed them every year," he said.
One of the UW's strongest players and someone who combined that with 4.6-second, 40-yard dash speed, Ware started as a junior and a senior for Neuheisel's Huskies. In 2002, he caught 42 passes for 463 yards and 5 touchdowns teaming up with record-breaking quarterback Cody Pickett. He had scoring catches against Michigan, Idaho, USC and UCLA.
Ware wasn't drafted, but he played a season with the then-Washington Redskins and another with the San Francisco 49ers. He appeared in 16 NFL games and caught 4 passes for 26 yards before his football career ended.
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