The Details Of Reuben Foster's Domestic Violence Charges Are Public, And They Are Very, Very Ugly

Official release from the Santa Clara District Attorney charging Reuben Foster of the 49ers with 3 felonies. A physical attack leaving the woman with bruised and with a ruptured ear drum pic.twitter.com/ErPTYJqlx8

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) April 12, 2018

I suppose it's important to let the justice system run its course on such a serious matter, but I think it's safe to say that we probably shouldn't see Reuben Foster playing professional football anytime soon. The key word, of course, is "shouldn't", seeing as the NFL has an uncanny way of forgetting the initiatives they've set in motion when it comes to prioritizing their public relations. Simply put, all the work that went into attempting to make everyone forget that they originally botched the Ray Rice situation will be nothing more than a lip servicing that would make a hooker blush if the on-field contributions of a young, highly talented linebacker don't become a moot point that's secondary to his off-the-field transgressions. 

It's a situation like this that really tests the mettle of the moral compass that the NFL clumsily stumbled upon at the height of the criticism they were facing for decades of brushing domestic abuse under the rug. As a player, Reuben Foster isn't just a good linebacker. He's a great linebacker that, in his first season, proved more than worthy of the first round pick used on him. As a person, Reuben Foster isn't just a bad guy. He's reportedly a terrible guy that, in his first offseason, proved more than worthy of all the character issues that surrounded his selection.

It's easy to make an example of a problematic player when he's got very little left to give, a la Ray Rice. It's not so easy to make an example out of a problematic player when he has the All-Pro potential that defensive coordinators salivate over. Hopefully Reuben Foster doesn't magically manage to avoid jail time if these charges are anywhere close to the truth, but if he does then it would be a nice change of pace if NFL franchises collectively laid a road block in his path from the court room to a locker room. Lets just say I wouldn't consider myself cautiously optimistic as much as I would consider myself laughably pessimistic. 

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On a much less important note, a quick reminder that the football gods put all their energy into making the Saints 2017 draft class noteworthy for all the right reasons...

FLASHBACK 2017 NFL Draft:

The Saints were going to draft Reuben Foster at l#32 before the 49ers traded up grab him pick #31. Call in Divine Intervention in favor of the Saints. #NFLDraft

— Wyatt Earp (@WyattEarp2018) April 12, 2018