The Sandy Springs home of former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward is on the market.
The NFL wide receiver and former UGA standout is selling his 12,836-square-foot home on Riverside Drive for $7.5 million, according to the First Multiple Listing Service for real estate.
Ward, now a free agent after being released from the Steelers this month, built the Mediterranean-influenced home in 2008. Atlanta real estate broker Anthony Lacey, the listing agent for the property, declined to discuss efforts to sell the home when reached by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. Efforts were also being made to reach Ward.
According to the Fulton County Board of Assessors' website, Ward purchased the home that had been on the property in 2006 for just over $1 million. The county now appraises the home he built on the site at $3.5 million.
The Super Bowl XL most valuable player had a hand in many of the mansion's touches, according to an Atlanta magazine article that featured the home last summer.
The two-story home, which sits on 2 acres, has 17 rooms, including eight bedrooms and eight and a half bathrooms. It features chocolate-colored woodwork “that reinforces the masculine décor,” the article said.
According to the article, FMLS listing and other real estate sources, there is an elevator, full basketball court and resort-style pool. It has weight, pool and poker rooms, TV lounges and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Ward even re-created his Steelers locker. The home also has a separate apartment over a three-car garage.
In a November 2010 Architectural Digest article, Ward explained how he got ideas for the house, which he called his dream home:
"Before I built my dream house, I spent years clipping pictures from magazines. I watch design shows on TV; I make mental notes wherever I go — friends' places, hotels. You can be amazed at what you pick up just by paying attention."
The Atlanta magazine article said Ward, who was born in South Korea but grew up in Atlanta, lived at the home with his son and mother.
Ward was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft and played with Pittsburgh for 14 seasons before the team announced this month that he was being released before the 2012 season.
A DeKalb County DUI charge against Ward was dropped in February after the NFL player pleaded guilty to reckless driving, stemming from an incident last July on Buford Highway. He received 12 months of probation, was fined $2,000 and must complete 80 hours of community service. He is also required to undergo an alcohol evaluation and participate in a risk-reduction program.
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