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49ers’ Ward thankful for eye-opening offseason trip to Africa originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The summer break for a 49ers player still might be a few days away, but cornerback Charvarius Ward already did some meaningful traveling before OTAs got started.
The All-Pro cornerback traveled to Zimbabwe and South Africa and visited the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town.
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“I went to Africa and I feel like it’s one of the best [places],” Ward said. “Just to see all our people over there. I saw a lot of Black people over there and it just felt good to be around them, to see how they live.”
It was a cultural exploration for Ward as well as an emotional one. The shutdown corner has a new perspective on his life and lifestyle since returning from experiencing a much simpler way of life.
“They don’t have a lot like we do in America,” Ward said. “They don’t stress about the things we stress about, like the fancy cars and clothes and everything. They are just happy to get by every day.
“A lot of them are super poor, in poverty, but their spirit was way up here. That’s what I love about Africa. Definitely see myself going back over there to help out once I retire, and towards the latter end of my career. I want to help my people out for sure.”
Ward had his own challenges in 2023, working through a lingering core muscle injury as well as a slower start to the season. In Week 7, the defensive back seemed to experience a turning point when his daughter, Amani Joy started to respond to and laugh with him when he was at home.
Those lessons along with what he learned in Africa, will keep the cornerback from slowing down.
“Personally it taught me to be more grateful and thankful for everything I have,” Ward said. “NFL players are rich as hell and [have] one of the best jobs in the world, but I still kind of stress about small things that I shouldn’t stress about.”
Keeping things simpler…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/49ers-ward-thankful-eye-opening-153236775.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-06-05 15:32:36
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