49ers LB Reuben Foster Charged With Felony Domestic Violence, Faces Up To 11 Years In Prison

Santa Clara DA announced Thursday that 49ers LB Reuben Foster has been charged with felony domestic violence
against his live-in girlfriend on Thursday.

Here’s the official release from the Santa Clara DA:

“Foster, 24, physically attacked the 28-year-old woman during a February argument at their Los
Gatos home, leaving her bruised and with a ruptured eardrum.

Foster is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12 in Department 44 of the
Hall of Justice in San Jose. The defendant faces charges of domestic violence with an allegation
that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a
crime, and possession of an assault weapon – all felonies. He is also charged with misdemeanor
possession of large capacity weapon magazine. If convicted, he faces more than 11 years in prison.

Prosecutor Kevin Smith said: “Our focus is on holding accountable those who hurt their intimate
partners. 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.”

On February 11, the victim flagged down a stranger’s car driving on Shannon Road to call 911. She
called police. The victim told responding sheriff’s deputies and Los Gatos police that Foster
dragged her by her hair, physically threw her out of the house, and punched her in the head 8 to 10
times.

The victim went to a local hospital, where she was treated for her injuries, and released.
During their search of Foster’s home, officers found the weapon – a Sig Sauer 516 – along with its
large capacity magazine – both of which are illegal to possess in California.”

49ers Statement:

“The 49ers organization is aware of today’s disturbing charges re: Reuben Foster. 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.”

NFL Statement:

“We continue to monitor all developments in this matter which is under review of the personal conduct policy.”

The 49ers open offseason workouts on Monday, so the team will have to make a decision about how they’ll proceed with Foster moving forward.

Foster, 24, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2017. He’s entering the second year of his four-year, $9.03 million contract and stands to make base salaries of $875,708 and $1.28 million over the next two years of the agreement.

The 49ers will have a fifth-year option to pick up in 2020 that’s guaranteed for injury only.

In 2017, Foster appeared in 10 games and recorded 72 tackles, no sacks or interceptions and one pass defense. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 4 linebacker out of 88 qualifying players.