Former New York Giants star Tiki Barber expressed his dismay Wednesday when he heard his former teammate Derrick Ward was arrested on a felony charge in Los Angeles earlier in the week.
Ward was accused of being involved in a string of robberies across the area, according to TMZ. He and Barber were teammates from 2004 to 2006. Ward was also a part of the running back corps known as “Earth, Wind and Fire” with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who won a Super Bowl in 2007.
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Barber told the New York Post he had talked to Ward about eight months ago, and the former NFL player said he was getting involved behind the scenes in the movie business.
“It’s just sad to hear,” Barber said. “He was from a rough environment, and it felt like he was at a point in his life where he escaped it. It’s shocking because I feel like he got his life right.”
Ward was being held on $250,000 bail.
The 43-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2004 draft out of Fresno State and later Ottawa University in Kansas. He was cut by the Jets before he played a game and later joined the Giants.
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During the 2007 season, the Giants running backs helped the team make the Super Bowl and upset the undefeated New England Patriots led by Tom Brady.
Ward joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009 after running for more than 1,000 yards and leading the league in yards per attempt (5.6) with the Giants in 2008. He played for the Houston Texans for the final two years of his career – 2010 and 2011. He retired from the NFL in 2012.
He finished his career with 2,628 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
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