Shanahan surprised by pickup of Foster
Among those who didn’t expect a team to claim Reuben Foster on waivers Tuesday just three days after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence?
That would be Foster’s exhead coach, Kyle Shanahan.
“I was a little surprised,” Shanahan said. “Not the team in particular, but that someone did. But someone did.”
On Wednesday, two days after he was officially released by the 49ers, Foster arrived at Washington’s facility and took a physical. He was not made available to reporters.
Instead, head coach Jay Gruden addressed the Washington, D.C.-area media and explained the team’s rationale for signing Foster, who has been arrested three times in the past 10 months. Gruden acknowledged the organization considered the public backlash that has followed.
“But at the end of the day, we decided to make the move and we’ll deal with the outcry, so to speak,” Gruden said. “But for the most part, this is a young athlete, a young person, who got himself into some trouble and we want to find out exactly what happened.”
Gruden termed Foster, 24, a “young player” who has “made a mistake or two.” Foster is on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list, meaning he can’t practice or attend games while the league looks into his latest arrest.
“There’s no guarantee he’s ever going to play here,” Gruden said. “He’s got a lot of work to do — personally, with the team, with the NFL, with himself — before he even thinks about playing football again.”
USA Today reported that only the Eagles contacted Tampa, Fla., police about Foster’s latest arrest, which occurred at the team hotel the day before the 49ers’ loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Gruden said Washington didn’t contact Elissa Ennis, the alleged victim in Saturday’s arrest who in May recanted domestic-violence allegations against Foster.
Washington said in a statement Tuesday that it claimed Foster following “candid conversations with a number of his ex-Alabama teammates.” Washington has seven Alabama players on its roster, including two on injured reserve. On Wednesday, two former Alabama players told USA Today they weren’t consulted about Foster and two others declined comment.
Gruden was asked why Washington claimed Foster instead of waiting for the legal process to unfold.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “We (probably) could have done that.” Goodwin absent: Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin remained away from the team for personal reasons after he left the 49ers in Tampa on Saturday to return to the Bay Area.
Shanahan said Goodwin “just needs more time.” Injuries: Safety D.J. Reed (heel) and center Weston Richburg (knee) did not practice. Shanahan has said Reed won’t play against Seattle.