Reuben Foster

At 30 years old, Reuben Foster has this physical status:

Reuben Foster (born April 4, 1994) is an American football inside linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL).

He played football at Alabama and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Foster, who was rated as the highest outside linebacker of his class, was regarded as the best inside linebacker prospect of his class.

Foster has received the Butkus Award in 2016, which is given to the country's best linebacker, throughout his career, including multiple arrests, resulting in his release from the 49ers in only his second season.

He was denied waivers by the Redskins shortly after his release, a move that was met with outrage.

Personal life

On April 4, 1994, Foster was born to Inita Berry Paige and Danny Foster. In November 1995, Foster fired Paige in the back. Reuben Foster, her 18-month-old son, was in charge. Danny Foster was charged by a grand jury in 1996 but he had left the state before being arrested in California. He was extradited to Randolph County but escaped from prison in December 1996. He assumed a new person in Miami but was arrested after 16 years on the run and was extradited to Randolph County, Alabama. Foster has a daughter, A'Zyia, who was born in 2009.

Foster was arrested in Alabama by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office on January 13, 2018 for smoking marijuana. Foster was arrested on February 11, 2018, on suspicion of domestic assault, assault, and unlawful weapon possession. He was charged with multiple domestic assault, unlawful weapon ownership, and bodily harm in April 12. Foster's girlfriend said on April 25 that "(Foster) did not strike her, injure her, or threaten her," and that domestic violence charges were made after Foster told her that her injuries resulted from a fight with another woman. Elissa Ennis testified under oath on May 17 that she had fabricated the story "as a money plan."

Foster was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence on November 24, 2018, and the 49ers later released him the following day. He claimed waivers by the Washington Redskins shortly after his release, a move that was criticized by many. After investigating the lawsuit, the state Attorney's Office in Florida dropped the charges in January 2019, finding that there were no facts against him.

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High school career

Foster, a native of Roanoke, Alabama, moved over the Georgia border to LaGrange, Georgia, after sixth grade. He attended Troup County High School, where he competed in high school football and was teammates with Quan Bray and J. C. Copeland. Foster had a heralded show against blue chip running back Isaiah Crowell during his freshman year in a game against Columbus (GA) Carver. "It's my coming out party." Foster said that it was when they started calling me a 'freakish freshman.' He finished his freshman season with 110 tackles and 112 as a sophomore.

Foster had 185 tackles in his junior year at Troup County High School, including 34 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. Troup County head coach Charles Flowers was fired in February 2012, allegedly due to a rumors that a football player was paid to move from Lanett, Alabama, to West Point, Georgia, in order to play for Troup. Foster revealed shortly after that he planned to transfer to another high school for his senior year.

Foster then returned to Alabama and enrolled at Auburn High School in April 2012, where he met Rashaan Evans as a teammate. A change in commitment from Alabama to Auburn was part of the transfer, which culminated in an NCAA probe.

Foster, a senior at Auburn High, had 80 tackles (70 solo) and two sacks, assisting the Tigers in their Class 6A playoffs qualifying season. Auburn High School defeated Opelika High School 7-8 in a grueling, defensive contest at Duck Samford Stadium. Foster was awarded Defensive MVP honors in the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game, finishing with six tackles and 2.5 for loss.

Foster, who was described as the best inside linebacker of his class, was regarded as a four-star recruit by ESPN. Describe Foster to Cornelius Bennett by Chris Yeager, who coached the Alabama All-Stars in the 2012 Alabama-Mississippi Classic.

Foster had been recruited by a variety of SEC colleges as a sophomore in his sophomore year. Foster formally committed to Alabama in July 2011, citing NFL pedigree and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as the determining factor. Foster, on his word, was not keen on his service, so other colleges began to recruit him. Foster decided to decommit from Alabama and attend Auburn University after graduating from Auburn High School prior to his senior year. "I think Auburn University is the place for me and my family at the end of the day." Foster said, "I am 100% positive with my final decision." He went so far as to have the Auburn University logo tattooed on his right arm.

Foster's service to the Tigers however, lasted until December 2012, when Auburn fired head coach Gene Chizik and assistant coach Trooper Taylor, with whom Foster had a personal friendship. Foster went through January looking at various colleges, including Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Miami, Florida, and LSU, with Georgia considered the most popular. Foster, on National Signing Day, however, was re-committed to Alabama.

College career

Foster came as a true freshman for Alabama against Virginia Tech in the season's opener, with one assisted tackle. He appeared in a total of nine games this season, four solo), with one tackle averaging for a loss of yardage. Foster was hurt during spring training on April 5, 2014 and competing to fill the vacancy inside linebacker left by Butkus Award winner C. J. Mosley.

Foster remained in 11 games and had the third-most special teams tackles on the squad with eight, but not to Reggie Ragland. With two solo tackles and a tackle for loss, he made his first appearance at West Virginia's middle linebacker position, compiling seven total tackles and a tackle for loss (2 yards). Foster finished his sophomore season with 22 tackles, two tackles for injury (5 yards) and one sack (3 yards against Texas A&M).

Foster took over as the team's starting linebacker from Trey Depriest and finished second with 73 total tackles, eight for a loss (24 yards) on the season. He has also recorded two sacks (7 yards), three quarterback hurries, and nine pass breakups. He was known as one of college football's top linebackers returning for his senior season. USA Today, The Sporting News, and a number of other publications have named him as a mid-American, a midseason All-American. He was given the Butkus Award, the nation's best linebacker, after the season. Foster led the way with 115 tackles, 13 for losses, and five sacks as a senior in 2016.

Professional career

Jonathan Allen, a Foster and Alabama teammate, had declined their invitations to participate in the 2017 Senior Bowl on January 18, 2017. Foster underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn rotator cuff, according to the publication on February 13, 2017. Foster was one of 19 collegiate linebackers to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, but he was kicked home after getting into a tense debate with a student hospital employee when receiving his medical examination at the combine. Foster protested the way he was being treated and was sent home before being able to speak with team representatives from any NFL franchise. Foster had failed a drug test during the combine. Foster attended Alabama's pro day on March 8, 2017 and set up private meetings with NFL teams to address the incident that took place at the combine. Foster's urine sample was found dilute on April 20, 2017, which is considered a positive test. Foster was expected to be a first-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts at the end of the pre-draft process. He was ranked as the top inside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analysts Mike Mayock and Gil Brandt, and ESPN ranked him as the second best linebacker (behind Temple's Haason Reddick).

Foster was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (31st overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the third inside linebacker selected in 2017, behind Haason Reddick and Jarrad Davis, and the fifth linebacker chosen in 2017. Foster and Pita Taumoepenu were the first two linebackers drafted by the 49ers in 2017. Foster was signed by the 49ers on a four-year, $9.03 million contract with six-year guarantees and a signing bonus of $4.71 million.

He was part of a revived linebacker corps made up of NaVorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks, Elvis Dumervil, and Malcolm Smith. Foster was supposed to backup newly acquired free agent Malcolm Smith, but after Smith sustained a torn pectoral injury during training camp, he was named as the starting right outside linebacker.

During the San Francisco 49ers' season-opener against the Carolina Panthers, he made his professional debut and first career appearance. After suffering an apparent ankle injury, he left the game early. When starting Christian McCaffrey and was inactive for the next five games, he sustained the injury in the first quarter and was inactive for the next five games (Weeks 2-6). After tackling McCaffrey on a seven-yard field protest, Foster's first career tackle came on the first drive. After the 49ers released veteran NaVorro Bowman, he returned in Week 7 and was named as the starting middle linebacker. Foster had five total tackles against the Dallas Cowboys in 40-10 but was forced to miss the third quarter due to a rib injury. In the 20–10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on November 5, 2017, Foster had a season-high 14 combined tackles. In ten games and ten starts, he finished his rookie season with 72 combined tackles (59 solo) and a pass deflection. Foster received a 93 percent overall rating for 2017. His overall rating ranked first among all rookie linebackers and fourth among all linebackers.

Foster was banned two games for breaching the league's personal conduct code, resulting from a weapons charge and a misdemeanor drug charge. Foster was released by the 49ers after another arrest for domestic violence on November 24, 2018. Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers' head coach, said the call was made because the detention and all other recent concerns made him "very difficult to believe."

Foster was claimed off waivers by the Washington Redskins on November 27, 2018. Doug Williams, the Redskins senior vice president of player relations, said he and the rest of the team were fully aware of the allegations leading to his capture, adding that Foster will have to go through the court process and accept any other punishment, whether league or elsewhere, before he could play a game for them. After consulting with a few of his ex-Alabama teammates on the team, he decided to take a risk on him and hoped that being around them would provide him with the "right possible" environment for him to flourish both on and off the field. He was then placed on the commissioner's exempt list by the league. Foster had "a lot of work to do" before they accepted him to play for the team, according to head coach Jay Gruden. With his return to the team's active roster in April 2019, an internal NFL probe found no evidence to back up his suspension. Rather, he was fined two game checks and put into an accountability program developed in conjunction with the NFLPA and the Redskins that included education, a living arrangement, weekly meetings, and a community service to help him prevent future incidents.

Foster suffered a torn ACL and LCL tear during his first session with the team in May 2019 and was later placed on injured reserve. He was activated on July 27, 2020 and reinstated on August 9, 2020, before being placed on injured reserve again on September 5, 2020. He was on a sabbatical from the 2020 season.

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