Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrested and charged with family assault Thursday morning in Magnolia, Texas, Montgomery County Jail records show.
Ward, 33, was arrested by the Montgomery County Sherriff's Office at 5:38 a.m. Thursday. He was booked at 6:37 a.m. and was bonded out with a $30,000 bail amount.
Ward's charge was elevated to third-degree felony family assault due to allegations of impeding breathing, according to jail records.
"We are aware of the report involving Jimmie Ward," Texans senior director of communications Omar Majzoub told NFL.com in a statement. "We are gathering information and have no further comment at this time."
The veteran defensive back is entering his 12th year in the NFL and his third in Houston. Ward started 10 games for the Texans last season, recording two interceptions (including one for a touchdown), four passes defensed and 48 tackles. A former first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Ward has started 99 of 126 regular-season games played over his career with 549 tackles, 51 passes defensed and 10 interceptions. He has one year left on his contract with the Texans.
Houston concludes its three-day mandatory minicamp and offseason program on Thursday.
