San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch gave a couple statements on linebacker Reuben Foster on Wednesday at the NFL Combine. He noted that the 49ers have been quiet on the matter — for which they have been criticized, rightly, in my opinion — but that the team is “actively following protocols with both law enforcement and the NFL.”
“With this, we’ve been a little quiet. And that’s for a reason. There’s places I can’t and won’t go,” Lynch said, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News.
Foster had a pair of arrests this offseason, including a domestic violence incident where he is the accused party. He is also accused of possession of an assault weapon, and was arrested in Alabama for possession of marijuana.
Lynch said that the 49ers met with Foster shortly after his most recent arrest and made it “very clear” to him what the organization expects out of its players. In the past, the 49ers have cut ties with players accused of domestic violence, though the track record has been inconsistent. Tramaine Brock was cut following accusations, while other guys stuck around.
He also said that the 49ers will have free agency and draft plans for the possibility of Foster being unable to play a full slate of games in 2018, as reported by Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
It’s frustrating following any team and a sport that boils down to just a game when we don’t know the details of something so serious and so much more important than that game. I’m not going to give Lynch a pass for the 49ers’ continued silence on Foster, but at least we’ve heard something in the interim.