49ERS LINEBACKER FOSTER COULD BE CUT
Seahawks still open to adding Kaepernick
San Francisco general manager John Lynch says if Reuben Foster did hit his live-in girlfriend then he will no longer be on the team.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco general manager John Lynch said Monday the team will be patient through linebacker Reuben Foster’s legal issues in a domestic violence case but stressed he won’t remain on the 49ers if the team determines he hit a woman.
Lynch spoke publicly for the first time since Foster was charged with felony domestic violence on April 12 after being accused by authorities of dragging his girlfriend and punching her in the head, leaving her with a ruptured eardrum.
“The gravity of these charges has not been lost on us,” Lynch said. “We take it extremely seriously. We do feel like patience is the right approach right now. We’re going to learn things through this legal process. I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear, that if these charges are proven true, if Reuben indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be a part of our organization going forward.”
The 49ers announced a few days later that Foster would not take part in the offseason program while he deals with the legal matter.
Lynch said he expects that to remain the case until something changes, meaning Foster will remain away from the team until his legal case is resolved.
Lynch said the team has been in contact with the league, which could place Foster on the commissioner’s exempt list while the legal process plays out, which would keep him away from the team and off the roster.
Lynch said Foster is in contact with members of his player development staff and working out on his own during this period where he is not allowed to be part of the team.
“We miss his spirit a lot,” linebacker Malcolm Smith said. “Just being around the guys. Obviously he’s going through some issues and legal stuff. We definitely miss his spirit in our group.”
Prosecutors said the 24-yearold Foster attacked his girlfriend in February at their Los Gatos home, leaving her bruised and with an injured eardrum.
The 28-year-old woman told responding officers that Foster dragged her by her hair, physically threw her out of the house, and punched her in the head eight to 10 times.
Foster was also charged with felony possession of an assault weapon after officers found a Sig Sauer 516 short-barreled rifle in his home while investigating his girlfriend’s domestic violence report.
If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 11 years in prison.
“We just feel like right now that we don’t have all the information,” Lynch said.
SEAHAWKS: Pete Carroll said Monday Seattle has not closed the door on the possibility of adding quarterback Colin Kaepernick to its roster, but how much further they pursue it may depend on the upcoming NFL draft.
“We’re still battling on all fronts, on all guys. We’re still looking at guys and evaluating. There are still free agents we’re looking at and in that the process just continues,” Carroll said. “We’ve gone through the information gathering and we have a pretty good feel for where we are. It’s ongoing. We’re not done with that decision at all.”
Reports surfaced earlier this month that Seattle pulled out of a planned workout for Kaepernick, who has been without an NFL team since the end of the 2016 season. Seattle has been one of the few teams to show any interest in Kaepernick following his protests during the national anthem in the 2016 season with San Francisco.
RAIDERS: Oakland has signed cornerback Daryl Worley just over a week after his release by Philadelphia following an arrest.
Worley was let go by the Eagles on April 15 after being arrested near the Eagles’ practice facility. Police used a Taser on him after he became combative and NFL Network also reported that a gun was found in Worley’s vehicle.
Philadelphia had acquired Worley earlier in the offseason from Carolina in a trade for receiver Torrey Smith. Worley was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2016.
RAVENS: Receiver Willie Snead has bid farewell to the Saints, which means New Orleans apparently won’t match the contract the Baltimore Ravens offered the restricted free agent.
Eager to add a target for quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens on Friday offered Snead a twoyear, $10.4 million contract. The Saints had five days to match the deal. Snead indicated Monday on Twitter that he’s headed out of New Orleans.
Snead tweeted: “What I’m going to miss most is the men in the locker room & the coaches.”
He added: “Even though I’m sad to go, I’m even more excited for the next chapter in my life. I can’t wait to strap it on as a Baltimore Raven.”
DRAFT: The Browns get the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft this week. Next month, they hope to get the entire draft.
In partnership with the cities of Cleveland, Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Browns are a finalist to host the 2019 or 2020 drafts.
The league will announce the winning cities for the ’19 and ’20 drafts during its spring meeting in Atlanta from May 21-23. This year’s draft begins Thursday outside Dallas.