LOS ANGELES—Former NFL Super Bowl-winning running back Derrick Ward was charged Dec. 20 with five counts of robbery.
Ward, 43, pleaded not guilty and is due back in a Van Nuys courtroom Jan. 3, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The criminal complaint alleges that the charges stem from an alleged series of robberies between Nov. 19 and Sunday.
Ward was arrested about noon Monday by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Division, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Ward remained in custody as of late Wednesday afternoon, according to jail records.
Ward, an L.A. native, is accused of robbing several businesses, including gas stations, according to TMZ.com.
“Law enforcement tells us ... Ward did not use a gun during the alleged robberies—but officers say he did use force and fear to get money from the stores,” TMZ reported.
Ward, a seventh-round pick in 2004, played for the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston Texans over his eight-year professional football career.
He was a member of the New York Giants Super Bowl-winning team that beat Tom Brady’s undefeated New England Patriots to cap the 2007 season.
