Texans safety Jimmie Ward faces felony charge, civil suit, on exempt list

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward is facing a complex legal challenge that combines criminal charges, a civil lawsuit seeking substantial damages, and ongoing team and league action. Ward was arrested in June on a felony domestic-violence charge after an incident with the mother of his three-year-old son, Cristy West, and he is also accused in a separate civil case of physical and sexual assault. The NFL has placed him on the Commissioner Exempt list, effectively pausing his participation with the team, while he remains on the Texans’ physically unable to perform list as he recovers from offseason foot surgery.

The criminal case centers on an alleged violent confrontation in June, during which West says Ward choked, slapped and threatened her, and forced her to perform a sexual act. West reported that Ward entered her home, created a scene she described as erratic and aggressive, and became physically confrontational. She said their son woke up during the ordeal, and she fled with the child, calling 911 from the street while naked and injured. Ward was arrested on the felony charge the same day and later freed on bond; in August he was arrested again after violating the terms...