Photo courtesy of Reuben Foster, Twitter
The San Francisco 49ers released controversial linebacker Reuben Foster after he was once again arrested on a charge of domestic battery in Tampa Bay, Florida last Saturday.
Foster was detained after a woman alleged he "pushed her in the chest" and "slapped her with an open hand," according to Tampa police. The alleged victim is the same woman who made domestic violence allegations against Foster earlier this year.
While she recanted the first allegations, she made it clear to police that he did in fact abuse her this time.
The 49ers gave Reuben a second chance after the initial domestic violence charges back in February were dropped because the woman claimed she lied. This time, the 49ers gave Foster no time to explain himself as they released him immediately.
Foster had several red flags coming out of college and many questioned his character. Despite his failed drugs tests and a reputation as immature, the 49ers invested a first-round pick into the troubled Alabama product, which proved to be a total and utter failure.
After a player is released by a team, they are then put on waivers where a team can claim that player and they are awarded rights to that player and their contract.
Nobody, not even Foster, expected to be picked up until his legal troubles were dealt with. Many expected his football career to be over for the foreseeable future, until the Washington Redskins came calling.
The Redskins, who just a few years ago applauded the NFL for taking a stand against domestic violence when they suspended Ray Rice indefinitely, became the one and only team to put in a claim for Foster.
"Roger Goodell has always had the best interests of football at heart, both on and off the field," Redskins owner Dan Snyder said in the Ray Rice statement. "We are fortunate to have him as our commissioner. The entire Washington Redskins organization strongly endorses his efforts to eradicate domestic abuse and the independent investigation into the Ray Rice assault."
The Redskins’ decision to pick up Reuben shook the NFL world. The Redskins are already surrounded by controversy stemming from their name, but nobody thought they’d be silly enough to bring in a man who abuses women.
It’s extremely ironic that NFL owners care about these kinds of issues when it doesn’t affect their team, but as soon as they can get their hands on an extremely talented player, they throw character and morality right out the window.
The Washington Redskins should be ashamed of themselves. Yes, Foster is innocent until proven guilty, but the man has a past with these kinds of things and has had character flaws highlighted ever since he came into the spotlight.
To make matters worse, Doug Williams, former player and senior vice president of player personnel for the Redskins, said Foster’s arrest was “small potatoes” compared to “a lot of things out there.”
It’s clear that while the other 31 teams didn’t think it was worth taking a chance on Foster and his talent, the Redskins clearly don’t care about domestic violence, just improving the football team.
Tens of thousands of women are fans of the Redskins. They’re one of the most historic and successful franchises in the league as they’ve sold out games for the last 50 years.
Clearly, they care more about the dollar sign than the young girls and women that help pay their million-dollar salaries.
wfeola@ramapo.edu
