© Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Reuben Foster saga has taken another turn with new details being reported Monday morning.
Foster is currently awaiting a verdict for three felonies charged from the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office last month: 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. If convicted, he could face up to 11 years in prison.
Nearly two weeks after the initial charges, Foster’s ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, recanted her accusations that Foster struck her eight-to-10 times in the head, rupturing her eardrum. Ennis initially said those injuries were caused by Foster. But she has changed her story, saying the injuries were inflicted during a physical altercation with another woman in a road-rage incident that occurred within two days of the alleged Foster altercation, according to the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows.
Barrows has brought to light several new details from the original report from the series of Feb. 11 incidents, which are chronicled below.
The onset of the fight between Foster, 24, and Ennis, 28, came on Feb. 10, when Foster supposedly threw Ennis’ dog across the room. The dog was not injured.
The following morning, Ennis told police, Foster threw her clothes out the window of a balcony and told her to leave the house. When she didn’t he dragged her down the stairs and threw her out of the front door. She returned through the backdoor, and Foster threw her out twice more, according to Barrows.
One of the most disturbing accounts is that Foster threatened to kill Ennis if she contacted the police. She tried calling the police as she later escaped the house, but when she fell down Foster threw her phone, breaking it.
The only account of the alleged incidents in which both Foster and Ennis confirmed is that he broke two of her phones, the other when Foster believed Ennis was video-recording him during an earlier argument.
Once police arrived at the scene, officers identified that Ennis had suffered a ‘swollen right lower lip, scratches and a cut on the back of her neck and a scrape on her left knee,’ according to Barrows. Ennis reportedly said her pain level was at an eight on a scale of one-to-10. The Apr. 12 report indicated she was bruised and suffered a ruptured ear drum.
Police reportedly found a loaded .38 caliber pistol and a Sig Sauer rifle, the assault weapon listed as part of his three felony charges last month. According to Barrows, the rifle was loaded and found on the bathroom floor upon the police’s arrival.
Foster ‘s friend stayed with Ennis and him that Feb. 11 night, and claimed he was unaware of any altercation or argument.
Barrows also reported that officers smelled marijuana in Foster’s Los Gatos home. Foster was arrested for marijuana possession in his home state of Alabama on Jan. 12, nearly one month before he was charged with the three felonies.
Foster last appeared before a San Jose courtroom Apr. 30. The hearing was pushed back to Tuesday, May 8, to give prosecutors additional time to review evidence.
The 49ers have not released Foster, although he hasn’t been allowed access to the team’s facilities. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have each stated that if the charges against Foster are proven true, he will be released immediately. Lynch has preached patience, letting the legal process play out before making any decisions.
Last Tuesday, during an interview with KNBR’s Tolbert & Lund, Lynch doubled down on his statement that Foster would be released if the charges against Foster are accurate. The 49ers general manager also dubbed Foster a potential ‘Hall-of-Fame talent,’ which plays a factor in his standing with the team amid his legal case.
Last year, the 49ers brass released Tramaine Brock one day after he was involved in an alleged domestic violence incident, a case that was later dismissed.
“When you got a late-round guy and he is causing problems, you probably aren’t going to have much tolerance on him,” Lynch said. “We try to have a consistent standard, but of course, talent kind of dictates some level of that. That’s not to say it’s going to make certain things OK because a guy is extremely talented, but you do have a little more rope with a guy like (Foster).”