San Francisco 49ers' Charvarius Ward Shares He Still Has PTSD After 'Trauma' of His Daughter Amani Joy's Death: 'Bad Memories'

Mar. 15, 2025

Charvarius Ward.Photo:Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty

Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty

Charvarius Wardisn’t sure if he’ll be staying in California.

The San Francisco 49ers cornerback, 28, shared on Monday, Jan. 6 that he isn’t sure he wants to stay in California, saying that his family’s been through a lot of “trauma” over this past year. In late October, Ward’s daughterAmani Joy, 23 months, whom he shares with girlfriend Monique Cook, died.

“I’ve got a lot of trauma in California,” heshared to reporters in front of his locker. “I had a lot of great times, but the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, that’s probably going to ever happen to me — knock on wood — happened in California. It can just bring up bad memories. Every time I get on a plane and come back to California, Santa Clara, San Jose, and show up here, it just brings up bad memories.”

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Charvarius Ward/Instagram

The athlete shared that he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his daughter’s death.

“I get PTSD a lot,” he said. “I be throwing up, waking up in the middle of the night all the time, sweating and stuff like that. It’s tough, it’s tough. But, you know, we’ll see how it goes. It’s going to be interesting for sure.”

In December, Ward spoke withThe New York Timesafter his team lost to the Los Angeles Rams, echoingsome of the same sentimentsand saying that this past season has been marked with many personal tragedies on and off the field.

“There’s been a dark cloud over us all season,” Ward said. “This will be a good offseason for this team to regroup, refocus and try to rekindle the spark.”

Charvarius Ward.Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty

Sharing that he didn’t know if he’s going to return next season, Ward said the past few months have been difficult as he’s navigated the death of his daughter.

“It’s been hard for me personally to go to work every day, every game — even to practice or go to meetings,” he said. “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 in my life for sure,” Ward admitted.

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, Wardannounced the death of his daughter Amani Joy. Sharing a photo of his daughter on hisInstagram, Ward wrote that his family was “heartbroken” as they processed the tragic news.

source: people.com