Reuben Foster - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Redskins, Reuben Foster

November 29th, 2018 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Redskins decision-makers were split over whether to claim Reuben Foster off waivers from the 49ers this week, according to Les Carpenter and Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post. The biggest proponent of the move was team president Bruce Allen, who “masterminded” the idea.

Foster was arrested at the Niners’ team hotel on Saturday night, marking the second time this year that he has been accused of getting physical with girlfriend Elissa Ennis. Ennis recanted the first allegation, but she is cooperating with authorities this time around and her attorney says she will “participate in the [legal] process.”

The 2017 first-round pick is undeniably talented, but the Redskins’ decision to add him to the roster has been widely criticized. That may explain why Allen chose to have Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams quoted in the team’s press release rather than himself.

“The Redskins fully understand the severity of the recent allegations made against Reuben,” Williams said in the statement. “If true, you can be sure these allegations are nothing our organization would ever condone.”

Shortly after claiming Foster, the Redskins announced that the linebacker will not play until his legal situation is resolved. They won’t have the opportunity to do that anyway – the NFL placed Foster on the commissioner’s exempt list, meaning that he cannot play or practice for the Redskins until the league office gives its blessing.

NFL Places Reuben Foster On Commissioner’s Exempt List

November 27th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Redskins’ statement indicated they weren’t planning to play recently acquired linebacker Reuben Foster until his latest legal situation concludes, and now they would not have an option to do so.

The NFL will place the second-year defender on its commissioner’s exempt list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Foster will now be away from his new team — for on-field matters — while the league reviews his situation.

Foster will not count against the Redskins’ 53-man roster but will be paid. He has $257K in 2018 base salary remaining. Foster cannot practice with the Redskins while on this list, but with Washington’s permission, can attend meetings or rehab sessions.

Redskins running back Adrian Peterson spent most of the 2014 season on this list, as did Greg Hardy, who saw a domestic violence case pave his way out of football.

The 49ers cut Foster after he was arrested for alleged domestic violence, his third arrest of 2018, and the Redskins were the only team to place a waiver claim on him. He would have been eligible to play in Washington’s Week 13 game, although Redskins VP of player personnel Doug Williams said he wouldn’t have suited up, had the NFL not placed him on its exempt list.

This could end Foster’s season. It’s hard to imagine the legal process unfolding swiftly enough that the embattled linebacker will be able to return before Washington’s season concludes. This move will be for the future, but the Redskins are taking a major PR risk for a player who may never play for them. The team, though, took a chance on a talented defender that could be under rookie-contract control through the 2021 season.

Redskins Claim LB Reuben Foster

November 27th, 2018 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Reuben Foster will be headed to the Redskins, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The recently arrested linebacker made it to the middle of the waiver claim order before Washington swooped in.

Washington sits at 6-5, meaning at least 17 teams passed on adding the former 49ers linebacker. San Francisco waived its 2017 first-round pick after he was arrested for the third time this year. Washington was the only team to place a claim on Foster, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

This move is obviously controversial, given Foster’s arrest over the weekend. But the second-year ‘backer avoided trouble from his first two arrests — for marijuana possession (and a weapons charge) and alleged domestic violence — earlier this year. The repeat trouble Foster’s encountered, though, gave plenty of teams pause.

The initial domestic violence charge led to the alleged victim admitting to false allegations. The same woman, Elissa Ennis, was the alleged victim in Tampa, Fla., over the weekend, complicating matters for Foster, who faces legal action in Florida and another NFL ban.

The NFL suspended Foster for two games, despite the Alabama alum being cleared twice this offseason, and the league could intervene here. But for now, Foster is eligible to play in the Redskins’ Monday game against the Eagles. That would be an interesting look for the NFL, which has experienced trouble on the domestic violence front in recent years.

A Tampa Police statement indicated the 24-year-old Foster and Ennis have been involved in and on-and-off relationship for the past three years and that “Foster slapped [Ennis’] phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area, and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face. Officers observed a one-inch scratch on the victim’s left collarbone.”

Washington VP of player personnel Doug Williams addressed the Foster claim. The team does not plan on playing Foster until the legal process plays out.

“The Redskins fully understand the severity of the recent allegations against Reuben. If true, you can be sure these allegations are nothing our organization would ever condone,” Williams said. “Let me be clear, Reuben will have to go through numerous steps, including the full legal process, an investigation and potential discipline from the NFL, as well as meetings with counselors associated with the team, before he will ever have the opportunity to wear the Bergundy and Gold as a player.

“That being said, we decided to investigate the situation with Reuben further by claiming his rights and after candid conversations with a number of his ex-Alabama teammates and current Redskins players who were overwhelmingly supportive of us taking this chance.”

Alabama products Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Ryan Anderson and Shaun Dion Hamilton are four of six former Foster-era Crimson Tide performers on the Redskins.

Dealing with a hamstring injury, Foster has not played since October. He suited up for six 49ers games this year, making 29 tackles. As a rookie, he was one of the NFL’s best linebackers but only dropped to No. 31 in the ’17 draft because of a polarizing off-field reputation.

Foster’s talent made the proposition he’d have another opportunity likely, but it happening so soon was a slight surprise. He has two years remaining on his rookie contract, with $257K remaining this season. A fifth-year option exists, meaning Foster could be under team control on this deal through 2021.

He’s also changed representation, with CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reporting (via Twitter) he’s now expected to sign with agent Charlie Fields.

49ers Notes: Mullens, Foster, Shanahan

November 27th, 2018 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

Despite an iffy performance on Sunday, the 49ers will move forward with Nick Mullens as their starting quarterback, head coach Kyle Shanahan says (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). Given the 49ers’ lack of other viable options, it’s not a huge surprise.

C.J. Beathard is the only other QB on the roster and he didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his five starts this year. Granted, neither player has set the world on fire. Beathard completed just 60.4% of his passes with eight touchdowns against seven interceptions while Mullens has completed 65.6% of his throws with five TDs and four picks. However, Mullens did have a strong outing in his first start against the Raiders a few weeks back.

Ultimately, both men are playing for an opportunity to stick with the Niners as Jimmy Garoppolo‘s backup in 2019. Mullens is signed through next year and Beathard is under contract through 2020, but Beathard can be cut with minimal fiscal penalty and there are zero guarantees remaining on Mullens’ pact.

Here’s more from San Francisco:

The latest allegations against Reuben Foster put a harsh spotlight on 49ers GM John Lynch, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports opines. The 49ers gave Foster a second chance after he was accused of domestic violence back in February. Then, on Saturday night, Foster allegedly struck girlfriend Elissa Ennis again, prompting the Niners to cut him. Robinson questions the team’s wisdom in drafting Foster in the first place given his red flags, giving him a second opportunity after the first DV arrest, and allowing Foster to be with his girlfriend in the team’s hotel.
Shanahan says he decided to release Foster immediately after hearing of the allegations over the weekend. “We’ll see what happens in the court of law,” Shanahan said (via Barrows). “I wasn’t there. But too many things have happened and we’ve tried to help him out a lot. I know he’s been trying, too, but this was a mess-up (so significant) that it doesn’t matter whether he did it or not. It’s time to move on.”

49ers Notes: Foster, Mack, Goodwin

November 25th, 2018 at 12:23pm CST by Rory Parks

We know that soon-to-be-former 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested on a domestic violence charge last night following an incident at the team’s hotel in Tampa Bay, and that the team is going to put Foster on the waiver wire tomorrow. GM John Lynch has since given an interview on the situation, and he indicated that the decision to cut Foster was made because Foster failed to uphold the standards set for him after the issues he had earlier this year (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Lynch added that he and team ownership agreed on the move.

Now for more from San Francisco, starting with more Foster fallout:

Matt Barrows of The Athletic provides a series of tweets with more detail on the Foster incident and Lynch’s reaction to it.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry notes that the 49ers will carry roughly $2.35MM in dead money for Foster on the 2019 cap (Twitter link). Foster’s two-game suspension that he served at the beginning of this season wiped out his base salary guarantees, so the dead money figure stems entirely from signing bonus proration.
In two separate pieces, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines Foster’s chances of being picked up by another club. Florio notes that any team interested in Foster’s services would first want to know if the league plans to place Foster on the Commissioner Exempt list, which is a device for keeping players off the field when those players face certain types of criminal charges, including allegations of domestic violence. A player cannot be placed on the list unless he is on a team, but he would be eligible to be paid during his stay on the list. Any team is free to call the league office to determine what its intentions are with respect to Foster, but unless the league is able to definitively say that Foster is not a candidate for the list — which seems unlikely — it does not appear that Foster will be claimed on waivers. It also seems that no one will be interested in signing Foster even when he clears waivers until his status with the league is determined.
We knew that the 49ers were interested in trading for Khalil Mack before he was dealt to the Bears, but we also heard that San Francisco had simply been outbid by Chicago. However, Lynch indicated during a radio interview with 95.7 The Game on Friday that he continues to believe that the 49ers had a better offer on the table for Mack (audio link). To get Mack, the Bears gave up two first-round picks, a 2019 sixth-rounder, and a 2020 third-rounder (though some draft capital came back to Chicago as well), so Lynch is apparently suggesting that he was prepared to give more than that to land the elite defender.
Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin traveled with the team to Tampa Bay, but he is not present for San Francisco’s matchup with the Bucs, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Goodwin was reportedly excused from the team to address a personal matter, and he was also excused from practice earlier this week due to a personal matter, though it is presently unclear whether it is the same issue.
Ahkello Witherspoon, who was selected two rounds after Foster in the 2017 draft, is at something of a crossroads with the 49ers, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Witherspoon has been benched twice this year and has regressed in coverage and tackling after a strong rookie campaign, and while it seems unlikely the 49ers would cut him at the end of the season, his play over the course of the team’s final six games will have a big impact on how aggressively the 49ers pursue cornerback upgrades in the offseason.

Reuben Foster Arrested For Domestic Violence, Cut By 49ers

November 25th, 2018 at 8:05am CST by Rory Parks

49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested at the team hotel in Tampa Bay at 9:10pm last night on one count of first-degree misdemeanor domestic-violence battery, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (among others) reports. The 49ers announced that they will waive the 2017 first-rounder.

Foster was held without bail overnight, but has since been released on $2K bail, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. The judge also ordered that Foster have no contact with the alleged victim, who has been identified as Elissa Ennis. As those who have followed Foster’s brief but troubled NFL career will recall, Ennis is the same woman who accused Foster of striking her last February, which led to Foster’s arrest. The domestic violence charges stemming from that arrest were then dropped after Ennis recanted her allegations and admitted that the injuries she sustained were actually suffered during a fight with another woman or two women.

In a statement, Tampa Police said Foster and Ennis — whom the statement identified as a “female victim” — have been involved “in an on-again-off-again relationship over the past three years.” The statement said the two were engaged in a verbal altercation and that “Foster slapped [Ennis’] phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area, and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face. Officers observed a one-inch scratch on the victim’s left collarbone.”

Foster’s February arrest — which also included a weapons charge that led to 232 hours of community service and two years of probation — came just a few weeks after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. Though the marijuana charge and the domestic violence charges were dropped, Foster was still suspended for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies. Of course, his draft stock fell following injuries and several incidents at the 2017 scouting combine, but the 49ers made him the 31st-overall pick of the 2017 draft anyway. It initially appeared that they would be rewarded for their gamble, as Foster performed quite well in his 10-game rookie campaign, which was shortened due to an injury he sustained in the 2017 opener.

This year, in addition to his two-game suspension, Foster had also missed a pair of games due to a hamstring injury and was questionable for the team’s contest against Tampa Bay this afternoon. Given his obvious talent, and given the fact that the current allegations were made by the same woman who admitted she fabricated previous allegations, it will be interesting to see if any teams put in a waiver claim. He will officially hit waivers at 4pm ET tomorrow.

49ers Activate LB Reuben Foster

September 19th, 2018 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have activated linebacker Reuben Foster from the suspended list and released offensive tackle Matt Tobin, the club announced today.

Foster never actually suffered any legal consequences as the result of several off-field incidents during the offseason, but the NFL still suspended him two games for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies. The 31st overall pick in the 2017 draft, Foster was outstanding in his 10-game rookie season, posting 59 tackles in total. He should slide back in as San Francisco’s weak side linebacker while veteran Malcolm Smith moves to the strong side.

Tobin, 30, boasts 57 games of pro experience with the Eagles and Seahawks, but he’d been inactive for each of the 49ers’ first two games. He signed with the Patriots this offseason but was released during final cutdowns, and signed with the 49ers two days later.

NFL Suspends 49ers LB Reuben Foster

July 3rd, 2018 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has suspended 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster for the first two games of the regular season. Foster will miss contests against the Vikings and Lions before returning to the active roster on Sept. 17.

Foster’s suspension comes as a result of violating the NFL’s conduct and substance-abuse policies. He’ll also be fined for violations stemming from weapons and drug charges. Although he will not serve jail time for any of his off-the-field missteps, the league reserves the right to discipline players for actions that are barred by the NFL.

“Our organization understands and supports the League’s decision,” GM John Lynch said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed that Reuben will not be with our team for the first two games of the season, we will continue to work with him on making better decisions and eliminating unnecessary distractions. We are encouraged to see Reuben take responsibility for his mistakes, and hopeful that he has learned from them as well.”

Just weeks ago, Foster was facing jail time for accusations of domestic abuse against his former girlfriend. Had he been convicted, Lynch said he would have been booted from the team.

Foster, meanwhile, says that he accepts the league’s decision and took accountability for his actions.

“I accept the League’s decision and am sorry that my mistakes have hurt my team,” Foster said in a statement released by the Niners. “I have a responsibility to the 49ers, our fans and our community, and I am committed to learning from this situation and making better choices in the future. The support I have received over the last five months has been humbling, and I do not take it for granted.”

On the field, Foster has been a solid contributor for the Niners. As a rookie in 2017, he recorded 72 total tackles in ten games (all starts). In November, he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors.

Latest On 49ers’ Reuben Foster

June 6th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers linebacker Reuben Foster pled no contest to his last remaining charge, a misdemeanor assault rifle possession count (Twitter link via Robert Salonga of the Mercury News). Foster will serve 232 hours of community service and two years probation, during which he’ll be prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition.

Legally speaking, this ties up the final loose end from Foster’s Feb. 11 domestic violence arrest. In May, the court dismissed the more serious felony charges against Foster after his ex-girlfriend recanted her allegations.

In terms of his standing with the league, however, much is left to be determined. Foster was faced with four charges in all and the league is still mulling a multi-game suspension for him, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Foster, who has been running with the first-team since returning to practice, is in line to start for the Niners in 2018. However, it seems likely that his season will be interrupted by a ban from the league office.

On the field, Foster has been a solid contributor for the Niners. As a rookie in 2017, he recorded 72 total tackles in ten games (all starts). In November, he earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Carroll, Foster, Saints

May 26th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Ben Levine

Appearing on Dave Dameshek’s podcast, Cliff Avril said that following the Seahawks‘ loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, Pete Carroll started losing the trust of his players. The former Seattle defensive end said “a lot of guys got turned off” when the head coach opted for a potential game-winning pass instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch.

Of course, we know what happened next. With the ball at the one-yard line, quarterback Russell Wilson ended up throwing a game-deciding interception to New England cornerback Malcolm Butler.

“If we win that Super Bowl I think we would have won another one,” Avril said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “I do think the team would have bought in more to what Coach Carroll was saying, instead of going the opposite way.

“Guys started kind of questioning him more instead of following his lead if we had won the Super Bowl.”

The Seahawks ended up losing in the divisional round during the 2015 and 2016 playoffs, and they failed to make the postseason in 2017. The team ultimately let go of a number of veterans this offseason.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner has left Athletes First and is without an agent, reports Liz Mullen SportsBusiness Daily (via Twitter). Wagner signed a four-year, $43MM extension (about $22MM guaranteed) with the Seahawks back in 2016, and he still has two years remaining on that deal.
According to Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Hays Webb, 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster had “several months of clean drug screen results” during his pre-trial diversion program (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch on Twitter). Foster ultimately completed the program. In this past week, Foster has seen both of his offseason arrests lead to dismissed cases. Yesterday, the former first-rounder had a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge dismissed, and we learned earlier this week that he wouldn’t be charged in a domestic violence case.
The Saints are still hoping that special teams coach Mike Westhoff will return to the organization after he successfully completes recovery from offseason surgery, according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. The 70-year-old underwent surgery for “an issue from his hip all the way down his leg,” and he’s yet to return to New Orleans. Sean Payton had previously expressed some optimism in Westhoff’s return, but he also said he didn’t expect the coach to come back until training camp. After retiring in 2012, Payton convinced Westhoff to return to the NFL towards the end of last season.