The San Francisco 49ers are taking their time figuring out the whole Reuben Foster situation that occurred on Sunday morning. The 49ers star linebacker was arrested at his home in Los Gatos and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence, threats, and possession of an assault weapon.
Foster was released on Sunday evening on $75,000 bail and met with 49ers officials on Monday so the team could hear his side of the story as the fact-gathering process continues, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The meeting reportedly involved Foster, general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, and possibly others.
The 49ers are not expected to take immediate action and will continue to investigate the situation.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area spoke with KNBR on Monday and said that the team knows Foster and his girlfriend very well and did its due diligence before the draft when it came to the character concerns surrounding the linebacker. Lynch and the 49ers likely knew they were taking what Maiocco calls a "calculated risk" when drafting Foster.
"I feel really good not only because we got a great player, (but) because I think we're going to have a great plan for the young man both on (and off) the field, and we care about the kid," Lynch said after drafting Foster last year.
Rapoport believes the whole process by the 49ers could take "considerable time." Local police and the NFL also continue their investigation processes.
From @NFLTotalAccess: The #49ers are expected to take their time figuring out the Reuben Foster situation, with no immediate answer coming. pic.twitter.com/TmNs7uYqJM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2018
As for the "assault weapon," which was reported by The Mercury News as "a single SIG Sauer 516 short-barreled rifle," Rapoport states that it was registered in the state of Alabama but not yet in California.
Foster's arrest comes a month after a previous arrest in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for second-degree possession of marijuana.
"This is the second incident for him," Rapoport said on NFL Total Access. "The 49ers are looking into that one as well. But they have not made any moves yet. They have not released him, for instance, as they did Tramaine Brock. That is an indication that maybe they do not have evidence yet that there is as severe wrong-doing in this case as there was with Brock, who by the way was eventually cleared by the NFL in a domestic violence charge."
Another report by The Mercury News states that Foster's girlfriend accused the 49ers linebacker of physically dragging her during the argument at his home that led to the police response. Foster was reportedly attempting to remove her from the residence.
