NFL star charged with 3 felonies, faces 11+ years in prison
The San Francisco 49ers were thrilled when they were able to nab linebacker Reuben Foster with the 31st pick in the 2017 draft.
But San Francisco also knew there were a host of off-the-field concerns surrounding the former Alabama star.
A positive drug test at the NFL combine caused the potential top-10 pick to tumble to the end of the first round.
Now, after starting 10 games as a rookie, Foster is in trouble with the law for the second time in less than four months.
Foster was previously arrested in January for possession of marijuana.
But his latest troubles appear to be far more serious.
Foster is being charged by California prosecutors with three felonies stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend that occurred in February.
According to the Bay Area News Group, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Foster with domestic violence, inflicting great bodily injury and forcefully trying to prevent a victim from reporting a crime.
Foster is also facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly possessing a high-capacity weapon magazine. If he is convicted on all of those charges, Foster could face 11 years — or even more — in prison.
Authorities say Foster’s girlfriend suffered a ruptured eardrum as a result of the Feb. 11 incident. According to the news release from the district attorney’s office, Foster “dragged” his live-in girlfriend “by her hair, physically threw her out of the house, and punched her in the head 8 to 10 times.”
The woman was then able to flag down a car in order to call 911.
When police searched Foster’s home, they found a Sig Sauer 516 short-barreled rifle with a large-capacity magazine.
#49ers LB Reuben Foster was charged with felony domestic abuse by the Santa Clara DA’s office. Release: pic.twitter.com/OD3qTtSDfU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2018
“Our focus is on holding accountable those who hurt their intimate partners,” Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith said in a statement. “Our office handles between four and five thousand domestic violence cases each year. We only hope that this case illuminates the tragic regularity of the rest.”
The 49ers said in a statement they are aware of the incident involving Foster, though they did not say whether they plan to cut him.
“The 49ers organization is aware of today’s disturbing charges regarding Reuben Foster,” the team’s statement read. “We will continue to follow this serious matter. Reuben is aware that his place in our organization is under great scrutiny and will depend on what is learned through the legal process.”
At last month’s owners meeting in Florida, team CEO Jed York said he wanted Foster to be part of the team moving forward. But for that to happen, he indicated that the linebacker must clean up his act.
“We’d love Reuben to be on this team, and we’d love him to participate for us. But if he’s not doing things off the field that allow us to be able to rely on him — or he’s doing something that we’re not comfortable with off the field and it’s proven that’s what’s going on — I think the guys have said then you’re just going to have to move on,” York said.
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