Derrick Ward arrested

[DaveBrown74]

Derrick Ward, part of the famed "Earth, Wind, and Fire" RB trio of the 2007 SB team, has been charged with a string of robberies.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/19/sports/ex-giant-derrick-ward-arrested-after-string-of-alleged-robberies/

[Ed Vette]

Sad to hear that he had to resort to this.

https://amp.tmz.com/2023/12/19/super-bowl-champ-derrick-ward-arrested-for-allegedly-robbing-l-a-businesses/

[GloryDays]

He received millions and millions of dollars not too long ago; what a loser!!

[Hadron]

I saw that yesterday. Total disappointment if true.

[DaveBrown74]

I saw that yesterday. Total disappointment if true.

Yup. Innocent until proven guilty of course, so I will hold off on judgment for now, but it doesn't sounds great.

As a general statement: if you have played in the NFL and have had some degree of success (which he certainly did), or even very limited success but were just an NFL player, you have all kinds of options career-wise after you're done. Ok fine, not everyone gets a cushy TV job or a high paying coaching or front office job, but between HS, college, and professional teams (including other leagues besides the NFL), there are all kinds of things you can do that can at least pay the basic bills and keep the lights on. So even if he was dead broke and/or in debt, or in desperate need of cash, there is really zero justifiable excuse for this behavior and I can't say I have tons of sympathy if it's true.

[MightyGiants]

I tried to find out what Ward was doing after football.  I saw in 2018 Ward had issues with his wife, where she alleged he put his hands around her neck and threatened to kill her.   According to his wife, he would have monthly fits of temper.

The only other mention I could find is he called into a radio show during the Brian Flores lawsuit, alleging Bill Belichick still wielded a lot of power in the Giants organization.

That's pretty much all I could find.

[T200]

Definitely tough to hear. I wonder if he has CTE?

[zephirus]

I honestly don't know how the NFL or NFLPA can do much better than they're already doing to try and prevent this.  While the article doesn't explicitly say what his motivation is/was, it's certainly not a huge leap of faith to think he blew through the money he made in the NFL.  And that's a tale as old as time and strikes both fringe NFL players like Derrick Ward to Hall of Famers like Terrell Owens and Warren Sapp.  What they do when that money runs out might differ but it does beg the question how they got there in the first place.

The NFL and NFLPA hold mandatory rookie symposiums and have lots of content available that urges players to save their money, contribute to retirement funds, and plan for life after football.  I believe they offer free financial planners to help each individual player craft their strategy for life after football.  You can lead a horse to water....

The fundamental problem is football culture, in my estimation.  It's considered a "good" thing in the NFL to be short-sighted, live in the moment and pour everything you have into what's happening right now.  There's a macho "alpha male" vibe that playing with reckless abandon is a net positive for a player.  NFL teams and colleges often take care of all the issues on the periphery of one's life in order to ensure maximum performance.  Perfect combination of ingredients into the end result of spitting men out of the league who have done very little growing up and probably have the mental maturity of a teenager.

[MightyGiants]

Definitely tough to hear. I wonder if he has CTE?

It's always hard to tell.  I am mindful that most of these athletes were given extra care, protection, and guidance from an early age.  They only end up truly on their own until after they retire or leave the NFL.   Those extras they get can offset quite a few flaws.