Domestic violence charge against Redskins LB Reuben Foster dropped

Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster (56) had domestic violence charges against him dismissed. (AP)
Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster (56) had domestic violence charges against him dismissed. (AP)

Yet again, a domestic violence charge against Reuben Foster has been dropped.

TMZ reported the State Attorney’s Office in Florida has dismissed the misdemeanor domestic violence charge on Nov. 24 that led to Foster’s release from the San Francisco 49ers. The Washington Redskins claimed Foster off waivers right after he was cut. Foster has been on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list since then.

Foster’s lawyer Eddie Suarez told TMZ that he believed a previous case in which Foster’s ex-girlfriend changed her story about a domestic violence incident was a factor in the most recent case being dropped.

Second time charges against Reuben Foster dropped

Last May, domestic violence charges against Foster were dropped by a judge due to insufficient evidence. In that case, Foster’s ex-girlfriend said in court that she lied about what happened in February, when she initially claimed Foster hit her and dragged her by the hair. Foster did get a weapons charge in that case, which led to a two-game NFL suspension.

Then last November the same woman from the earlier domestic violence accusation, Elissa Ennis, said Foster slapped the “phone out of her hand, pushed her in the chest area and slapped her with an open hand on the right side of her face,” according to a criminal affidavit obtained by ABC News. This happened in the 49ers’ team hotel in Tampa the night before a game, and the team cut him. The Redskins claimed him right after, setting off criticism.

Ennis told “Good Morning America” in December that Foster had been physical with her three times before the incident in Tampa. She explained why she recanted her story over the February incident.

“Because I loved him, and love will have you doing things that’s not in your best interests,” Ennis told “Good Morning America.”

“I did what I had to do for the person I love. I thought that he would change.”

What will NFL do about Foster?

The NFL is again in a tough spot when it comes to a domestic violence case. There are no charges against Foster. While Ennis showed pictures of bruises to her neck/collarbone and on the side of her face to “Good Morning America,” all the NFL has is her word since charges were dismissed.

The last time, the NFL used the weapons charge to suspend Foster. It doesn’t seem there’s anything similar stemming from the incident in November. The league was just blasted for not doing enough in the case of Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. Now it faces a similar situation with Foster.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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