Ex-girlfriend recants violence claim
The former girlfriend of Reuben Foster said this week that the 49ers’ 24year-old linebacker did not beat her up in February, an allegation that resulted in felony domestic-violence charges against Foster.
Through her attorney, Elissa Ennis said she made up the story about Foster punching her repeatedly at his Los Gatos home in an an attempt to “trash his career.” Foster reportedly tried to break off the relationship, and Ennis wasn’t happy about it, her attorney said.
“She felt that it would be right to set the record straight,” attorney Stephanie Rickard told The Chronicle on Wednesday.
Foster was arrested Feb. 11 in Los Gatos after allegedly dragging his longterm girlfriend by the hair, physically throwing her out of the house and punching her in the head at least eight times. The woman flagged down a stranger’s car on Shannon Road and asked the driver to call 911, according to the district attorney’s office.
Santa Clara County prosecutors have since charged Foster with multiple felony charges, including inflicting great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a
crime and possessing an assault weapon, in connection with the reported February incident. He has not entered a plea.
Prosecutors did not immediately return calls Wednesday to comment about whether they will proceed with the case.
A spokesman for the 49ers declined to comment, saying the team doesn’t speak about ongoing legal matters.
On Monday, however, general manager John Lynch had said the team was prepared to cut ties with Foster if an assault had taken place.
“I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear, that if these charges are proven true, if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be part of our organization moving forward,” Lynch said. “I think that’s the standard we want on our team. That’s the standard we are going to operate under.”
He also hinted that all the details in the case had not been disclosed.
“We think it’s wise right now to be patient,” Lynch said. “That all the information is not there yet. We’ll sit back and wait for that to come. And at the given time, where we think the next step is appropriate, then we’ll make that decision.”
The February arrest was Foster’s second this year. He was arrested Jan. 12 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on suspicion of marijuana possession. In 2017, Foster failed an NFL drug test after allegedly submitting a diluted urine sample.
Foster, who remains on the 49ers’ roster, could not be reached for comment.
Chronicle staff writer Eric Branch contributed to this story.