ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward, who was charged last week with misdemeanor assault and disturbing the peace at a Denver strip club earlier this month, said Wednesday the incident was "kind of blown out of proportion'' and that he's resolving the matter.
Ward, speaking after the first day of Broncos' OTAs, reaffirmed that he only knew a warrant had been issued for his arrest last week for the May 10 incident at PT's All Nude club when he saw news reports.
"It was kind of blown out of proportion, now it's being taken care of, it's only basically a ticket or summons,'' Ward said. "It wasn't supposed to be a warrant initially, but there was some miscommunication with the police department and myself. It's all being resolved and [I'm] looking forward to just moving forward.
"I didn't think anything was wrong actually until I heard about the warrant,'' Ward continued. "Once I found out, I did everything, cooperated, settled it quickly and it's behind me.''
The 27-year-old was charged with misdemeanor assault and disturbing the peace last Friday for allegedly throwing a glass mug at a female bartender at the club.
According to court documents, Ward was seen on video surveillance picking up the mug from the bar and throwing it at the bartender after being told he couldn't bring a drink into the club. The incident occurred at 2:40 a.m.
A court date has been set for June 23.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Ward last Thursday, and the warrant was dismissed Friday.
It's been a bit of a rocky start for Ward, who signed a four-year, $22.5 million deal with the Broncos in March. He is a big part of the team's defensive makeover and the Broncos have touted him as a player with Pro Bowl potential.
But for a team that had more than its share of off-field drama last season, an incident at a strip club involving a high-profile free-agent signee certainly got the attention of the Broncos' decision-makers. Ward said Wednesday he had discussed the matter with coach John Fox and executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway even before the incident became public.
"You just have to be more, I guess, aware of what you do in certain situations and times of the day,'' Ward said. "I've learned from that.''