San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
49er Foster’s mission: ‘Just don’t mess up’
After a tumultuous offseason that included two arrests and resulted in a two-game NFL suspension, 49ers inside linebacker Reuben Foster addressed the media Saturday for the first time since December and said he understood his spot on the team could be in jeopardy if he has more legal problems.
General manager John Lynch has said it’s been conveyed to Foster “that his place on this team is one that must continue to be earned.”
“That was the message that came through. And I respect it,” said Foster, who added: “Everything I do now, (I have to) to better myself even more. It’s like do or die. Just don’t mess up. … It’s like (how) I’m trying to craft my football
(career), I have to craft my life.”
Foster’s legal issues included a misdemeanor arrest for marijuana possession in January, and a weapons charge that was related to a recanted domesticviolence allegation by his exgirlfriend, Elissa Ennis, who testified that she lied about being abused by Foster after he broke up with her.
Foster, 24, initially faced three felony charges, including two for domestic violence, related to an argument with Ennis in Los Gatos in February. However, the domestic violence charges were dismissed in May by a Santa Clara County judge, who said Ennis’ credibility was a critical factor in her decision. The gun charge had previously been reduced to a misdemeanor.
Foster, who had a prison sentence of up to 11 years attached to the three felony charges, said he thought his NFL career might be over after one season while his legal case unfolded.
“It made me appreciate football a lot better,” Foster said. “It was crazy knowing that football can be gone. But just being back on this field with my brothers and these coaches is a blessing.”
Asked if he did anything wrong during the incident in Los Gatos, Foster said: “I respect your question, but I don’t feel like talking about it. I really don’t. Right or wrong or whatever, people criticized me and thought I was wrong. But I’m not going to fuel (that).”
Foster will serve his twogame suspension to start the season. Both his marijuana arrest and weapons charge were factored into his suspension. Foster also failed a drug test at the 2017 NFL combine. During his arrest in Los Gatos, police found a loaded Sig Sauer 516 rifle on a bathroom floor. Foster termed the suspension “painful.”
“It’s football — it’s something I do, and something I love,” he said. “But it is what it is. You accept the consequences and you take it and move on.”
The 49ers, who selected Foster No. 31 overall in 2017 after he slipped in the draft partly because of character concerns, faced intense public criticism for not releasing Foster after the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filled the felony charges in April. The 49ers did keep Foster away from the team facility while his case was ongoing.
Foster said he appreciated how Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan “stood by me.” On Wednesday, Shanahan commended Foster.
“I think Reuben has done a great job just handling it,” Shanahan said. “What they originally charged him with is as bad of a thing as you can imagine. It’s a very embarrassing thing because of how bad it was. To have all that scrutiny on you and to have to go through that, I think would be a challenge for any human being. That would mess a lot of people up.
“I’ve been very impressed with Reuben in how he handled it, the process he went through while it was going on and after it got dropped, and how he’s handled himself since.”
This season, the 49ers have placed Foster’s locker next to the stall occupied by All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, 30, who has emerged as a team leader since signing in March. In April, Sherman was in attendance at Foster’s arraignment hearing.
“He’s a man for that,” Foster said. “I respect Richard Sherman for coming to court, supporting me and just being there for me.”
On Wednesday, Sherman said he and Foster speak frequently.
“Obviously, there have been some mistakes and some up and downs this offseason and last year,” Sherman said. “But just like everybody else, he’s a human being. And human beings make mistakes. But I think he’s growing from those mistakes and moving forward and he’s trying to be a better man.
“I don’t think you’ll hear much out of him in terms of off-the-field issues in the future. I think everything you’ll hear about him will be on the field and it’ll be positive.”