Latest On 49ers LB Reuben Foster

Earlier this month, we heard that 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster is facing multiple felony charges and one misdemeanor in relation to a February domestic violence incident. However, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the victim has recanted her claim.

Elissa Ennis, Foster’s former girlfriend, released a statement through her attorney stating that the linebacker did not cause her injuries earlier this year. Rather, the injuries were a result of a fight with another woman. Foster intended to end their relationship after learning after the fight, and Ennis followed through in her threat to “trash his career.”

“(Foster) did not strike her, injure her or threaten her,” attorney Stephanie Rickard told Maiocco.

This doesn’t necessarily mean Foster’s off the hook. As Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office has already said that they’d prosecute the NFL player even if the victim didn’t cooperate. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes, Foster is also facing a felony charge for possessing an assault weapon, which would seemingly be unrelated to the assault case. The NFL is conducting its own investigation, and they could ultimately choose to punish Foster.

The 49ers have already barred Foster from participating in their offseason program, and general manager John Lynch said he’d release the player if the allegations proved to be true.

“We do feel like patience is the right approach right now, that we are going to learn things through this legal process,” Lynch said (via Maiocco). “But I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear, that if these charges are proven true, that if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be part of our organization going forward.”

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