NFL Suspends 49ers LB Reuben Foster Two Games

The San Francisco 49ers announced Tuesday that LB Reuben Foster has been suspended two games without pay for the first two games of the 2018 regular season for violating the NFL’s Conduct and Substances of Abuse policies.

Statement from Foster:

“I accept the League’s decision and am sorry that my mistakes have hurt my team. 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.”

Statement from 49ers GM John Lynch:

“Our organization understands and supports the League’s decision. 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.”

Foster’s ex-girlfriend recanted the domestic violence accusations against Foster a few months ago, which led to the judge dismissing the charges against him.

Foster plead no contest to misdemeanor weapons possession and was sentenced to two years probation, 232 hours of community service, and $235 total in fines last month.

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.