Jimmie Ward is due in court next week for a hearing on his third-degree felony charge. That hearing had been postponed from mid-July to Aug. 13. In advance of that, the Texans safety was arrested again.
The 34-year-old defender spent Thursday night in Montgomery County Jail after being arrested on an alcohol charge in Texas, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Ward allegedly tested positive for alcohol, which is a violation of his bail.
Ward’s attorney said the former first-round pick was unaware he could not consume any alcohol as part of a bond condition; Ward is expected to be released from jail Friday, Wilson adds. Ward is currently on the active/PUP list while rehabbing foot surgery.
In his third year with the Texans, Ward has seen off-field issues overshadow his aim at playing a 12th NFL season. The former 49ers draftee was accused of assaulting, strangling and threatening the mother of his child, being hit with an assault family violence impeding breath/circulation charge related to an incident at his home in Magnolia, Texas. The woman has been granted an emergency protective order. After his August 13 information setting court date, Ward is due back in court to appear before a grand jury Aug. 31.
The Texans have Ward tied to a $5.67M cap number; he is due a $2.75M base salary. An NFL suspension is unlikely to come before this grand jury appearance, potentially putting Ward in position to debut on time with the Texans. But he has also yet to practice with the team during camp.
Ward suffered the season-ending foot malady in Week 16. The Texans then traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has worked as a starter alongside Calen Bullock. Gardner-Johnson dodged a bullet in avoiding an ACL tear in practice Thursday, but the twice-traded DB is still expected to miss time with an unspecified knee injury.
