SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Prosecutors charged 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster with felony domestic violence on Thursday in connection to a February incident that they say left his long-time girlfriend bruised and with a ruptured eardrum.
According to a news release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office, Foster's 28-year-old girlfriend flagged down a passing car in Los Gatos after she had been dragged by her hair by Foster, punched in the head eight to 10 times by him and was physically thrown from the house.
Foster, 24, faces charges of domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon � all felonies.
If convicted, Foster faces more than 11 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.
"Our focus is on holding accountable those who hurt their intimate partners," prosecutor Kevin Smith said in a statement. "Our office handles between 4,000 and 5,000 domestic violence cases each year. We only hope that this case illuminates the tragic regularity of the rest."
According to the district attorney, Foster's girlfriend was taken to a hospital following the incident. Foster's home was searched and officers found a Sig Sauer 516 rifle along with a large capacity magazine, both of which are illegal to possess in California.
The 49ers have not yet commented on the charges. The NFL said it continues to review the matter as part of its personal conduct policy.
Foster, who also was arrested for marijuana possession in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in January, has been working out regularly at the team's facility in Santa Clara following the dual incidents. The 49ers have said that they would wait on the district attorney's office to act before making any long-term decisions on Foster.
They released cornerback Tramaine Brock one day after he was arrested for domestic violence a year ago in Santa Clara. They did not follow the same path with Foster, a first-round pick in 2017, because, according to general manager John Lynch, "each situation is different and we'll leave it at that."
The implication was that they didn't feel as if Foster's actions were as serious as Brock's. The case against Brock later was dismissed when the victim in the case became uncooperative with local prosecutors. The NFL declined to take any action against him as well.
At the scouting combine last month, Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear that Foster can't afford any more missteps.
"We have talked with Reuben and the context in a broad sense of what we discussed with Reuben is just our expectations for him and our expectations for all our players," Lynch said. "We have a high standard. We made that very clear with him."
In addition to his marijuana-related arrest, Foster failed a drug test at last year's scouting combine due to a diluted sample. He also was sent home early from the combine after an altercation with a hospital worker.
His next hearing in Alabama is scheduled for May 2.
