1:02 pm | November 27, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was claimed off waivers by the Washington Redskins, who made a point of saying he won’t play for the team unless he clears certain hurdles.
The Niners said they were releasing the 24-year-old Sunday after he was arrested late Saturday night at the team hotel on a charge of misdemeanor domestic violence. It remains to be seen if the league will suspend Foster for his latest transgression.
“The Redskins fully understand the severity of the recent allegations made against Reuben,” Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said in a statement. “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.”
The arrest report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office said Foster was arrested at 9:10 p.m. ET Saturday at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Tampa and booked into jail two hours later. Foster’s bond was set at $2,000 during a bail hearing Sunday morning, along with orders to avoid any contact with the accuser. Foster was released on bond Sunday afternoon.
Foster’s latest arrest comes on the heels of a tumultuous offseason in which he was arrested on charges of felony domestic violence stemming from a February incident at his home in Los Gatos, California.
He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge related to the initial domestic violence allegations and was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in January in Alabama.
Foster was sentenced to two years’ probation, 232 hours of community service and $235 in fines for the weapons charge, and he completed a first-time offender diversion course to have the marijuana charges dropped. Those issues resulted in his being suspended for the first two games of the season for violations of the league’s policies on personal conduct and substance abuse.
Foster’s time with the Niners will end after he appeared in 16 games over two seasons since the organization chose him with the 31st overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. In that time, Foster had 101 tackles and three pass breakups.
Williams said Washington claimed Foster “after candid conversations with a number of his ex-Alabama teammates and current Redskins players who were overwhelmingly supportive of us taking this chance. Nothing is promised to Reuben, 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.”
The Redskins have a number of former Alabama players on their roster who played with Foster, including defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne and linebacker Ryan Anderson.
Information from ESPN’s Nick Wagoner was used in this report.
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