Indiana Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward is hurting in a way most fans can only imagine. His daughter, Amani Joy, was born with Down syndrome and two holes in her heart. She passed away before her second birthday in October 2024. Since then, Ward has carried that weight every single day. And on his daughter’s birthday, he shared how broken he still is.

On his Instagram, Ward posted photos of Amani. He wished her a heavenly birthday in front of the Horseshoe faithful. “Happy heavenily birthday AMANI. Haven’t been happy since you left us. God was wrong for this.”

Then came a heart-wrenching 4-word line: “Lost without my baby.”

After that, Ward did not try to sound strong. The 29-year-old has always said Amani was his why. His reason. His light. So, her absence still cuts the deepest.

He wrote, “Fu-k football. Fu-k this money.Fu-k any type of fame. Don’t care for none of it. Lost without my baby.”

At the time of her passing in October last year, Ward also shared his emotions.

“She was the best blessing we could have asked for, and her joyous spirit made us smile from ear to ear. She taught us to have patience, trust, and a positive outlook on life.”

That message still stands. And nothing will ever fill that space in his heart.

Charvarius Ward is dealing with PTSD

Back in March, Charvarius Ward’s contract was about to expire. So, the general manager tried to keep him in the Bay. Yet Ward’s mind was nowhere near the 49ers front office.

Reason? One year after losing his daughter, Ward revealed that his newborn son almost did not make it early in the pregnancy. He later shared that Charvarius Jr. was born the next month and is healthy. Still, the scare marked him. It stayed in his head. And it explains why football became secondary to him.

“You know, I’ve got a lot of trauma in California. There were great times, but the worst thing that’s happened to me, that’s probably ever gonna happen to me, knock on wood,  happened in California. It just brings back bad memories. Every time I get on a plane to come back to California, San Jose, here, it’s just a bad memory.”

“I go through that every night by myself because my girl doesn’t want to come back to California because of what happened. … She’s my strength right now. I need her.”

His trauma made California feel cold. Even after three years of bonding in the locker room, he could not stay. The deal expired. And then he left the Bay with no hesitation. Now he plays for the Colts. A fresh start, a chance to breathe again.