San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke with members of the media in the wake of linebacker Reuben Foster's arrest over the weekend and subsequent release from the team, saying it was a joint decision by the Niners organization.
Second-year linebacker Reuben Foster's tenure with the San Francisco 49ers is over.
Just ahead of the Niners' Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Foster was arrested for the second time this year stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident with the same individual who was involved in the prior arrest early in 2018 back in Los Gatos, California.
This time, the 49ers elected to cut ties with the talented-yet-troubled player.
Shortly before San Francisco's Sunday kickoff, general manager John Lynch met with media members to discuss the team's decision to part ways with Foster.
"Unfortunately what transpired yesterday, this isn't a comment on what happened there, because that would be mere speculation on our part. It's more of a comment on him not living up to what we had communicated and to the energy and time that we've invested into him," Lynch told reporters Sunday. "That doesn't mean we don't love him. We all do. We care about him. We feel it's in the best interest of our organization to move on at this point, and that's a very tough decision.
"I want to be clear this is an organizational decision. Kyle and I talked last night. We brought it to ownership. We were all lockstep in the decision. It was not easy on anybody."
You can watch the presser below:
John Lynch on Reuben Foster: 'One of our tenets is 'protect the team. He didn't protect the team.' pic.twitter.com/7hncj9gyi8
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 25, 2018
The 49ers stood by Foster in the wake of his February arrest, which appeared vindicated at the time after the accuser testified in court that she lied about the incident in order to ruin the linebacker's NFL career.
After this incident, however, the 49ers appeared to have little choice but to make this decision final.
On top of it being a joint decision by the franchise, Lynch pointed out whatever incident took place occurred outside the usual security areas in which the team has in place where the 49ers are staying before Sunday's contest, per The Athletic's Matt Barrows:
John Lynch said the #49ers have security on the floors on which players and staff stay and in the meeting rooms. He said the incident involving Reuben Foster and his ex-girlfriend occurred in a another area of the hotel.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 25, 2018
Meanwhile, the Niners still have a game to play and will kick off against the Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
