Charvarius Ward Opens Up About Challenges Faced During First Year With Colts

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. is itching to remind folks across the league that he's one of the best at his position.

His first season in Indianapolis saw more downs than ups, both mentally and physically, but Ward's determined to get back into the swing of things as he enters his second season with the Colts. After his first regular season with the Colts was spent taking more punches than dishing them out, Ward is confident in his ability to rebound in a big way.

“Mentally, I feel great. Spiritually, I feel great," Ward said on Wednesday after another offseason workout program.

He's set to go full steam ahead into his second season with Indianapolis, bringing a new mindset to the fold, but Ward's determination to come back sprouts from an unyielding reminder from his body that he's got lots of gas left in the tank.

"I think part of the reason, me coming back, like I'd be training and I'd be working out with like some young boys, (and) I'd be looking way better than they be looking," said Ward. "So, that let me know like right there, like I still got it. I still can play, and I just feel good. Like I said, I’ve just been working on myself and I didn't want to finish my career like I finished last season, man"

Ward suffered a string of concussions in his first season with the Colts, one in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins, and another during a pre-game collision with teammate Drew Ogletree before their Week 6 matchup against Arizona Cardinals. The latter of which kept Ward out for a month, which ultimately led to him considering retirement altogether.

But Ward's physical state was by far the least of his concerns. Even if he needed this aforementioned physical reminder that he's still got it to push forward in his NFL career, his mental well-being is what requires the most care as of late.

Ward and his fiancée, Monique Cook, had their world flipped upside down when their 23-month-old daughter Amani Joy died in October 2024.

This tragedy played a big factor in Ward's decision to leave the San Francisco 49ers after the 2024 season, as his 3-year, $54M contract with the Colts gave him an opportunity to start fresh. But even though he moved 3,000 miles to escape the place that reminds him of his daughter, the pain permeated, and how could it not.

“Yeah man. I tried to toughen it out, man. I tried to toughen it out like mentally and emotionally, like I said," Ward explained. "I got to the point in training camp where it had got real hard for me at training camp, like I had like some rough moments in camp. Like I was having those thoughts like, ‘Man, I don't know if I can do it,’ like early in training camp.”

Not only was moving his whole life at the drop of a hat a tough pill to swallow, no matter how much of a positive he tried to spin it into, but the constant reminder of his daughter was proving to be too much early on. Ward tried his hardest to remain his positive, bubbly self, but his heavy heart had become all-consuming.

“Just like my heart was super heavy. My heart was super heavy still with my baby girl," he said.

"It was bad, but like I said, now I'm smiling. Like when I think about her, I'm smiling now. Like I could just do so much in the community, and just like for her, I feel like she always watching over me, she always with me spiritually. So, I'm in a much better space than I was last year.”

Feeling alone and full of pain was how Ward unfortunately spent the majority of his first season with the Colts, but after another year of life lived, with numerous obstacles that have come his way, he's in a much better place moving forward.

A big reason he's confident that this newfound positive outlook will stick around is due to his family coming to Indianapolis to be with him.

"It kind of was like a lot of stuff happened out of my control," Ward explained.

"Emotionally, I wasn't ready like I thought I was going to be ready. So, get my fam out here with me this season, they're going to be close with me this year and I think that's going to help me out a lot. Like, just being whole and happy, you know what I'm saying? So, that kind of went into it.”

Now, Charvarius Ward is poised to get back to his ways alongside fellow former All-Pro Sauce Gardner. The two are projected to be among the league's best cornerback duos, while veteran safety Cam Bynum is set to shore up the backend. Rookie safety A.J. Haulcy is expected to fill out the defensive backfield alongside them, bringing versatility and ball skills to the mix.

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