Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. on Wednesday said he's returning to the Colts in 2026 with the motivation "to be one of the best in the world."
That same level of motivation didn't exist for him in 2025.
"Last year, I had the motivation, but it was kind of like I was trying to fake it because I was sad at the same time," Ward said. "Now, I'm happy and I'm grinding, and I'm feeling much better physically."
Ward on Wednesday revealed the emotional weight he played with last year following the tragic death of his daughter, Amani Joy, who passed away just before her second birthday in October of 2024. While Ward tried to put on a brave face, he admitted was depressed, and that his "heart was super heavy still with my baby girl" in 2025. The memories of his daughter brought only sadness.
"I tried toughing it out. Mentally and emotionally, I got to the point in training camp where it had got real hard for me," Ward said. "I had some rough moments in camp. I was having those thoughts of like, 'I don't know if I can do it' early in training camp."
On the field, Ward didn't feel like himself, either. While he generally played well – he had seven pass break-ups and held opposing quarterbacks to an 81.6 passer rating – it wasn't to his own high standard. And that doesn't even get into the three separate instances he was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol, which resulted in symptoms he described as "traumatic" and a total of 10 games missed in 2025.
After the season, the 30-year-old Ward openly wondered if he would continue playing football.
But, four months later, Ward is here and participating in the Colts' voluntary offseason program. Ward's family – including his 17-month-old son, "Mooney Jr." – will be living with him this year, and he spent plenty of time over the last few months focusing on his own mental health and spiritual journey.
"I feel good," Ward said. "I've just been working on myself and I didn't want to finish my career like I finished last season. A lot of stuff happened out of my control. Emotionally, I wasn't ready like I thought I was going to be ready. So getting my family out here this season, they're closer with me. That's going to help me out a lot, being whole and happy."
On his son, Ward said: "He put light back into my life."
Ward, now, thinks about Amani Joy and smiles, remembering the moments and memories he cherished with her. He not only wants to play for her, but he wants to live and thrive for her and her memory, and for, as he put it, "the man she made me."
Ward is hopeful he won't encounter another concussion in his career, and added he might wear a guardian cap in 2026. Ward, too, said he wants to finish his career as "one of the best corners in the game," all while playing next to Sauce Gardner, who's also established himself as an upper-echelon cornerback.
And he'll set forward to accomplish his goals, both from an individual and team standpoint, in a much better place than he was in 2025.
"I felt like it was clear I wasn't at my best last year," Ward said. "When your heart and your head aren't right, your career and your profession are probably not going to be right either. This offseason I just worked on getting my heart and my head right, just feeling fulfilled – like a good man, a good person, happy person. If I'm happy off the field, I already know what I'm going to do on the field. It'll kind of come easy to me at this point in my life and career."
