Indianapolis Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward has revealed he could be forced into retirement at 29 after struggling with concussion symptoms throughout the NFL season.
Ward, a Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, only joined the Colts in March on a three-year, $54million deal.
But speaking Monday, he said his family now want him to step away from the game and prioritize his health after entering concussion protocol three times in just 15 weeks.
Ward was hurt in a freak accident before the Colts’ Week 6 game against Arizona Cardinals, where he collided with teammate Drew Ogletree by accident when they ran at full speed into each other during their warmups.
Ward had already been concussed in the Week One game against Miami Dolphins and despite returning in Week 12 for his team, reentered concussion protocal in mid December after reporting symptoms.
Speaking in November about his sickening collision with Ogeltree, Ward said: ‘One moment, I’m going for the ball. The next moment, I’m knocked out, laying on my back. It’s crazy.
Charvarius Ward is deciding if he should keep playing football after a huge concussion scare
‘I was throwing up, getting dizzy. I was getting dizzy for like a month. That wasn’t normal, so that was like a real-deal traumatic injury for me. A lot of emotions and everything like that, so it was pretty tough, but I’m feeling good now.’
When he returned six weeks later, Ward admitted he feared for his career.
‘I was kind of doubting if I was gonna play football again because it was like that scary,’ he said.
‘It was that scary, you know what I mean, because I was thinking about my life outside of football too.’
Speaking when Ward entered concussion protocol for the third time this season, his defensive coordinator at the Colts, Lou Anarumo, urged Ward to consider his overall wellbeing.
‘Forget about the football player part of it. I just really want him to be okay, and that’s what’s most important, dealing with all that right now,’ Anarumo said.
‘It’s just unfortunate. I just want what’s best for him and his family. I think that’s what’s most important, and what’s most paramount right now, is how he is as human.’
While the Colts echo Anarumo’s sentiments, it would be a huge blow if Ward was to retire.
They traded for another cornerback midway through the season with Sauce Gardner arriving from the New York Jets in exchange for their 2026 and 2027 first-round Draft picks.
Their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, is out of contract and faces a race against time to make the start of next season after tearing his Achilles in Week 14.
The injury to Jones contributed greatly to an implosion in the second half of the season by the Colts, who lost seven straight to miss out on the playoffs.
