Charvarius Ward is set to become a free agent this offseason and has revealed his trepidation returning to San Francisco.
The San Francisco 49ers’ star cornerback went through an unspeakable year that goes far beyond the game of football.
Ward and his girlfriend, Monique Cook, lost their one-year-old daughter in October due to health complications.
It put an awful pause to Ward’s season, as he missed four games to deal with the unthinkable, a tragedy that no parent should ever experience.
Ward now faces his next big life decision as he enters free agency.
And after his heartbreaking and unimaginable loss, there is a lot to consider.
Ward revealed how this past season wore on himself and his loved ones, to the point where he isn’t sure that he’ll be able to, nor want to resign with the 49’ers.
He told reporters on Monday that he is battling PTSD over the loss of his daughter.
“I’ll be throwing up, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating,” Ward said in an open locker room to reporters.
“I got a lot of trauma in California, every time I get on the plane to come back, it just brings up bad memories.
“I go home by myself every day because my girl doesn’t want to come back to California because of what happened.
“It’s hard being alone and she’s my strength right now.”
The trauma of losing a child isn’t something that any parent should have to go through, so it understandable why Ward has pause on returning to San Francisco.
A place that provokes memories and feelings towards a loved one that is no longer alive isn’t a burden that Ward and his family should have to bear.
He won’t have to make a decision right now, as free agency is set to begin in March, so he’ll have time to discuss it with those closest to him.
Meanwhile, he is coming off his third season with the 49ers, after signing with them in 2022, coming from Kansas City Chiefs.
Ward made the Pro Bowl last season where he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl, only to fall to his former team.
Overall, he has had a successful stint in the Bay Area, where general manager John Lynch would surely love to re-sign the Pro Bowl corner.
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