(RepublicanJournal.org) – A former player for the National Football League is in police custody after allegedly committing a string of robberies in the Los Angeles area. He stands accused of hitting multiple Southern California businesses, using his brawn and size to terrorize employees into handing over store cash.
TMZ reports that the Los Angeles (LA) Police Department booked former NFL star Derrick Ward on December 18 at roughly 6:30 p.m. Authorities allege that the 43-year-old LA native recently robbed numerous businesses, some of which were gas stations. He reportedly didn’t use a firearm in any of the thefts, relying instead on his imposing 6-foot, 230-pound stature to intimidate his victims.
Ward began his football career with the New York Jets in 2004, although the team didn’t give him any real play time before cutting him loose in October of that year. He immediately signed with the New York Giants, but the LA player ended up on the team’s injured reserve (IR) list for the following three seasons. The Giants made a historic Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots in 2007 while Ward was still on IR due to a broken leg. He re-signed with the Giants in March 2008, then he went on to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2009. The team let him go the following year, and he joined the Houston Texans in September 2010. He retired from the sport in July 2012, sharing the news with his fans on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Ward has had at least one previous brush with the law. In January 2018, his wife, Naomi Lee Allen-Ward, filed a restraining order against him. She alleged that he had been verbally and emotionally abusive throughout their nine-year relationship, adding that he had become physically abusive toward the tail end. She claimed he broke objects, punched walls, and shoved her in the presence of their children. TMZ revealed that the couple officially separated the following month.
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