HOUSTON -- A Montgomery County (Texas) grand jury has decided not to indict Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward, months after he was arrested on suspicion of third-degree felony domestic violence.
The grand jury didn't find probable cause that Ward committed the alleged crimes against the woman involved in the incident.
"I can finally move forward," Ward told KPRC-TV on Thursday.
Ward is currently on the NFL's commissioner exempt list stemming from his arrest in Montgomery County, Texas on June 12 for the alleged family violence in his Magnolia home. Ward may not practice or attend games while on the list.
"We continue to monitor all developments in the matter, which remains under review," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy wrote in an email to KPRC-TV.
Ward's attorney, Steve Jackson, said he expects that his client could come off the commissioner exempt list next week.
In a statement, he thanked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the Texans organization "for their belief in Jimmie to let the facts all come out and not rush to judgment."
"We believe not only was he exonerated by the grand jury but that the actions of the grand jury show that Jimmie was factually innocent," he said in the statement.
The woman alleged on the morning of the arrest that she was "violently assaulted multiple times, both sexually and physically" by Ward in the presence of their 3-year-old child. She eventually got away and ran out the house into the street then called the police.
Ward was also arrested on Aug. 7 for violating his previous release conditions which included no drinking of alcohol, which he claimed he didn't know. He tested positive for alcohol, and he had to spend the night in jail.
The woman filed a lawsuit against Ward in Harris County (Texas) District Court on Aug. 21, seeking damages of more than $20 million.
