Reuben Foster Returns to 49ers Following Dropped Domestic Violence Charges

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has officially returned to the team after domestic violence charges brought against him by ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis were formally dropped by the court. After the ruling in favor of Foster was passed on Wednesday, 49ers general manager John Lynch issued a statement in which he said that Foster would return to the team.

Foster’s charges were dropped following a tearful admission by Ennis last week in which she claimed that she “lied a lot” in her allegations against Foster. A Wednesday ruling by California Superior Court Judge Nona Klippen indicated that there was not enough evidence to bring Foster up on those charges in order for them to warrant a full jury trial.

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Foster was also facing felony charges regarding an assault weapon, but those have been dropped down to a misdemeanor for which he will face a pre-trial hearing on June 6. However, Foster’s marijuana charge stemming from a January arrest is still in effect, and he will in court for that hearing on June 20.

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The linebacker’s return to the 49ers is huge for the team from a football standpoint. Throughout his rookie season, Foster showed signs of being a great defender in the making, recording 59 tackles and 13 assists in 10 games, all of which he started. His play was good enough to earn him a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2017, and at 23-years-old, he’s slated to become the core of the 49ers defense in the coming years. And it’s a good thing too, considering the vast improvement of division rival Los Angeles Rams during this offseason, as well as the potential for Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen to be a huge threat in the NFC West for the next decade.