San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward admitted the team has had a “dark cloud” hanging over it all season long amid a spate of injuries and off-field issues.
Ward suffered his own tragedy earlier this year when his 1-year-old daughter passed away. He opened up a bit about it in an interview with The Athletic on Thursday night.
“It’s been hard for me personally to go to work every day, every game — even to practice or go to meetings,” he told the outlet. “I almost left a couple of times. S—, I know fans probably hate me (for saying that), but f— it, it’s real life. It’s bigger than football.
“This is the hardest time of my life for sure.”
Ward missed three games from Nov. 10 to Nov. 24 and returned to the 49ers for their 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 1.
He announced that his daughter, Amani Joy, had passed away on Oct. 29.
“We are heartbroken that our beautiful baby girl, Amani Joy passed away on Monday morning. She was the best blessing we could have asked for, and her joyous spirit made us smile from ear to ear. She taught us to have patience, trust, and a positive outlook on life. She showed us true strength and bravery. She overcame adversity at a young age and was always happy, lighting up every room with her smile.
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“Having the privilege of being her parents and seeing the world through her eyes has changed us for the better. She will forever be daddy’s best friend and mommy’s little girl. We’ll miss you and love you forever, Amani Joy.”
The San Francisco Chronicle detailed Ward and girlfriend Monique Cook’s parenthood journey earlier this year, beginning with their fear after learning their baby had Down syndrome after a blood test, and a heart defect was spotted in an ultrasound.
Ward was the optimist in this situation, telling Cook that she would be a beautiful girl, and regardless of what happened, they would love and take care of her.
Amani underwent open-heart surgery 10 months after being born, and Ward admitted that seeing his baby at night when he would lay her down to sleep just filled him with joy.
Ward, a 28-year-old undrafted free agent, is in his seventh NFL season. He began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, helping the team win a Super Bowl before joining the 49ers in 2022.
The 49ers gave Ward as much time as he needed to get back.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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