Colts’ Charvarius Ward contemplated retirement after concussion, ‘getting dizzy’ for a month
INDIANAPOLIS — It was almost too much to overcome. Suddenly, the next chapter of Charvarius Ward Sr.’s life was staring him in the face — that is, if he could focus long enough to stare back.
Dizziness, crossed eyes, vomiting and headaches kept Ward away from football and — for nearly a month — away from anything else. The Indianapolis Colts cornerback is finally expected to make his return Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but a few weeks ago, he thought his football career might be over.
The Colts placed Ward on injured reserve on Oct. 18 after he suffered his second concussion of the season. He revealed Friday, after clearing concussion protocol, that he contemplated retirement. The 29-year-old, whom Indy officially activated off IR on Saturday, said the first concussion he sustained in Week 1 felt like “a migraine,” and he only missed one game as a result. But the second concussion, this time in Week 6, was much more severe, and the effects lingered.
“I was throwing up, getting dizzy. I was getting dizzy for like a month,” Ward said. “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.”
Ward estimated that he’s only had one other concussion before this season, but nothing like this. His inability to do normal day-to-day tasks for an extended period made him take a sobering look at his future. What he envisioned did not include strapping on his helmet.
“I was kind of doubting if I was gonna play football again because it was that scary,” Ward said. “Because I was thinking about my life outside of football, too.”
Ward’s concussion was the result of a nasty collision with reserve tight end Drew Ogletree during pregame warmups in Week 6. The two were running routes and catching passes from team staffers when they accidentally ran into each other on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound Ward took the brunt of the impact after his head met the shoulder of the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Ogletree.
That’s all Ward can remember before he was taken off the field in a wheelchair. The gap in his memory was only filled in after he watched the replay. He doesn’t plan to watch it again.
“One moment, I’m going for the ball. The next moment, I’m knocked out, laying on my back,” Ward said. “It was crazy. Like I said, that’s a big boy. Tree (is) a real big boy. I ain’t see him coming. I felt like if I had my helmet on and it was a normal football hit, I would’ve been good.
“But it’s just me not seeing him coming, him being (heavier) than me — that kind of f—ed me up real bad.”
Ward added that it wasn’t until his dizziness subsided and he “stopped being kind of cross-eyed” that he felt a return to football was possible. His progress took a positive turn in recent weeks, as evidenced by his flying overseas to Berlin for the Colts’ overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons. He felt even better during the bye week.
Since then, Ward’s replaced his thoughts of retirement with an eagerness and hunger to rejoin the 8-2 Colts amid their resurgent and, now, all-in campaign. Two weeks ago, Colts general manager Chris Ballard shipped his team’s next two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell to the New York Jets in exchange for star cornerback Sauce Gardner. The two-time first-team All-Pro, who thrived in his Colts debut against the Falcons, wasn’t brought in to replace the injured Ward, league sources told The Athletic. The vision was always for Ward to get healthy, so he and Gardner could lock down opposing receivers together.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played with a corner that was as good as me or maybe even got more talent than me in some areas, so I’m excited to go out there and play with (Gardner),” Ward said. “I feel like we can be the best duo or one of the best duos in the league. I’m not trying to set too many crazy expectations, but I think me and him (are) both big dogs, and we’re gonna go out there and prove it every Sunday.”
The Colts listed Ward as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs, but coach Shane Steichen confirmed that Ward will play. Indianapolis must officially activate Ward from IR for him to be available against Kansas City, which will likely occur Saturday.
Gardner said earlier this week that he’s spent a lot of time theorizing with Ward about how they can elevate each other. They’ll finally get the chance to put those thoughts into action Sunday.
“Charvarius, he’s been a dog — since he was in San Fran, since he was in Kansas City,” Gardner said. “So, I’m looking forward to just going out there together and putting on a clinic. But from afar, watching him, he’s always been that guy.”
Ward missed five straight games and has not played since Week 5, so it remains to be seen how much the Colts will rely on him Sunday. But his return is welcome in arguably Indy’s biggest game of the year so far. The three-time defending AFC champion Chiefs, whom Ward won the Super Bowl with during the 2019 season, have never lost three straight regular-season games in the Patrick Mahomes era. That could change Sunday when Ward suits up in a familiar venue at Arrowhead Stadium.
The veteran cornerback said he’s grateful to “feel like Mooney again,” referencing his nickname. But in his typically candid fashion, Ward acknowledged that he’s still dealing with a lot of trauma that has nothing to do with football. He didn’t go into detail Friday, though he vented about his heavy heart earlier this week via social media.
Last year, Ward’s 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, died in October. Her second birthday would have been this past Monday, and Ward shared a few photos of her on Instagram in remembrance.
“Happy heavenly birthday AMANI,” Ward wrote in one of the posts. “Haven’t been happy since you left us. God was wrong for this.”
Ward said Friday that what he went through with his concussion was extremely difficult, but it pales in comparison to what he’s facing in his personal life. So, despite missing six games this year due to injury, the most in any of his eight NFL seasons, the perspective he’s gained over the last two years — mostly due to the death of his daughter — won’t allow him to dwell on a freak accident.
“The injury, it may have been a blessing in disguise because of the stuff that I was dealing with mentally anyway,” Ward said. “So, I didn’t look at it like, (Why me?) I feel good physically, but mentally I’m still kind of f—ed up right now with everything that’s going on in my life.
“So, I just try to go out there every day and just keep my spirits high. Just try to stay prayed up, even though that’s hard to do.”
