On Friday night, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested and charged with second degree possession of marijuana in Alabama. Under NFL policy, provided there is no appeal, he will likely see a fine from the league, per NBC Sports Bay Area.
That won't be the only money Foster stands to lose from the incident. According to former sports agent and current writer for CBS Sports, Joel Corry, Foster could lose a substantial sum from his rookie contract in future years.
Corry reports that the $2,501,124 of salary guarantees from 2018 to 2020 will likely be voided due to the charge. Language was built into the contract to protect the 49ers from such an incident. Again, all of this is assuming Foster doesn't win a potential appeal.
The $2,501,124 of salary guarantees in Rueben Foster's 2018 to 2020 contract years are as good as gone. There's language in Foster's contract where a fine under NFL drug policies (provided it isn't vacated on appeal) voids the guarantees.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) January 13, 2018
Foster would still be able to earn the $2,501,124 in non-guaranteed money, according to Corry. Paying the voided guaranteed money would still be up to the team, who may decide to reward the young player should he remain out of trouble.
Foster's arrest was first reported on Friday night by The Tuscaloosa News and then later confirmed by the Tuscaloosa Sheriff's office. Bond was set at $2,500 for Foster.
The 49ers issued the following statement following the arrest on Friday night.
"The San Francisco 49ers organization is aware of the matter involving Reuben Foster and we are currently gathering all relevant facts."
