Linebacker Reuben Foster was out of the NFL for one full day.
Reuben Foster was out of the NFL for one full day.
On Tuesday, two days after the 49ers announced they would release Foster following his third arrest in less than a year, Washington claimed the linebacker off waivers. Washington was the only team to put a waiver claim on Foster, NFL Network reported.
The 49ers parted with Foster, 24, after he was arrested on one count of first-degree misdemeanor domestic-violence battery Saturday night at the team hotel in Tampa, Fla. Foster posted $2,000 bond and was released from jail during the 49ers’ 27-9 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.
In May, a Santa Clara County Court judge dropped domesticviolence charges against Foster, a week after Elissa Ennis took the stand and recanted her allegations that Foster struck her in Los Gatos on Feb. 11. Foster allegedly slapped Ennis with an open hand across her face Saturday night.
On Tuesday, the NFL placed Foster on its Commissioner Exempt list and will continue to review his latest arrest. Foster will not be able to practice or attend games, but can be at the team facility to attend meetings and for workouts.
After claiming Foster, who served a two-game NFL suspension to start the season, Washington general manager Doug Williams released a statement explaining the decision to welcome the 2017 firstround pick who won the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s best linebacker, at Alabama.
“The (team) fully understand (s) the severity of the recent allegations made against Reuben,” Williams said. “If true, you can be sure these allegations are nothing our organization would ever condone. 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 Burgundy and Gold as a player.”
Washington has five players on the roster who played at Alabama, and Williams said the team claimed Foster after “candid conversations” with his ex-college teammates who “were overwhelmingly supportive of us taking this chance.”
“Nothing is promised to Reuben,” Williams said, “but we are hopeful being around so many of his former teammates and friends will eventually provide him with the best possible environment to succeed both personally and professionally.”
Foster served his suspension to start this season because of his arrest for misdemeanor marijuana possession in January in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and a gun charge that was part of his arrest Feb. 11, when a loaded Sig Sauer 516 rifle was found on a bathroom floor.
In June, Foster pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge and was ordered to perform 232 hours of community service. He also was given two years of probation, during which he is barred from possessing guns.
Foster has played in 16 of 27 games in his NFL career, missing nine games because of ankle, back and hamstring injuries. He was a member of the league’s All-Rookie team in 2017.
On Monday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear any player guilty of domestic violence would be released by the team. He said the 49ers didn’t wait for the legal process to play out following Foster’s latest arrest because simply having Ennis at the team hotel continued his pattern of poor decision-making.
“Hopefully, this is rock bottom for him and he can fix himself in all those ways,” Shanahan said, “and still find a way to go have success in his life or hopefully another team someday.” Assistant sports editor Mike Lerseth contributed to this report.