Derrick Ward walks off the field after a game.New York Giants running back Derrick Ward walks off the field after a 23-11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. He was arrested Monday in connection with a Los Angeles robbery investigation. (Julie Jacobson / Associated Press)
Former NFL running back Derrick Ward, who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2008, has been arrested in connection with at least five robberies in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles police said.
Ward, 43, was arrested Monday around noon by officers from the LAPD’s North Hollywood station and booked into a Van Nuys jail around 6:30 p.m., according to jail records. Ward was booked on robbery charges, said LAPD Officer Annie Moran.
Ward is accused of robbing businesses from Nov. 19 through Sunday, the LAPD said.
NBC News quoted police sources who said Ward allegedly robbed gas stations. The 6-foot, 230-pound man was not suspected of using a firearm during any of those offenses, according to the news site.
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He’s being held on $250,000 bail, according to jail records.
Born in Los Angeles, Ward played high school football for Valley View in Moreno Valley and college football for Fresno State and then Ottawa University in Kansas. He was drafted into the NFL in 2004 and went on to sign with the Giants the same year.
In 2008, Ward and the Giants upset the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLII, but the following year he went on to sign a four-year, $17-million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ward went on to play for the Houston Texans before he announced his retirement in 2012 from the NFL via his Twitter account.