Reuben Foster (born April 4, 1994) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
who is a free agent. A consensus
All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, where he played from 2013 to 2016. In his final season there he was awarded the
Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's best linebacker.
He was then drafted by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in the first round of the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. During his professional career, Foster has been involved with a number of legal issues and other controversies, including multiple arrests, which led to his release from the 49ers in just his second season. He was claimed off
waivers by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
shortly after, a move that was met with criticism.
High school career
A native of
Roanoke, Alabama, Foster moved across the border to
LaGrange, Georgia, after sixth grade. He attended
Troup County High School
Troup County High School, originally called Troup County Comprehensive High School, is a public college-preparatory and tech-preparatory school located in LaGrange, Georgia, United States. It is a member of the Troup County Board of Education, an ...
, where he played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
and was teammates with
Quan Bray
Jaquan Bray (born April 28, 1993) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free a ...
and
J. C. Copeland
Javoddron Reon Holloway "J. C." Copeland (born July 21, 1991) is an American football Defensive end (American football), defensive end and Fullback (American football), fullback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at LSU Ti ...
. During his freshman year in a game against
Columbus (GA) Carver, Foster had a heralded performance against blue chip running back
Isaiah Crowell
Isaiah Hassan Crowell ( ; born January 8, 1993) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Georgia and Alabama State. Crowell was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
High school ca ...
. "That was my coming out party. That's when they started calling me 'freakish freshman'", said Foster. He completed his freshman season with 110 tackles, and added 112 as a sophomore.
Foster finished his junior season at Troup County High School with 185 tackles, including 34 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. In February 2012, Troup County head coach Charles Flowers was dismissed, allegedly due to a rumor that he paid a football player to move from
Lanett, Alabama, to
West Point, Georgia
West Point is a city in Troup County, Georgia, Troup and Harris County, Georgia, Harris counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is located approximately halfway between Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama and Atlanta ...
, in order to play for Troup. Immediately afterwards, Foster announced his intention to transfer to another high school for his senior season.
Foster eventually moved back to Alabama and enrolled at
Auburn High School in April 2012, where he became teammates with
Rashaan Evans
Alan Rashaan Evans (born November 8, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He played college f ...
. Along with the transfer came a switch in commitment from Alabama to Auburn, which triggered an
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
investigation.
In his senior year at Auburn High, Foster recorded 80 tackles (70 solo) and two sacks, helping the Tigers advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs. Auburn High School lost 7–8 in a grueling, defensive battle to rival
Opelika High School
Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Lee County, Alabama and was originally built in 1972. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in grades 9– 12. The principal is Kelli Fischer. The school's assistant prin ...
at
Duck Samford Stadium. Foster participated in the 2013
Under Armour All-America Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5, ...
, finishing with six tackles and 2.5 for loss, earning Defensive MVP honors.
Recruiting
Regarded as a four-star recruit by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, Foster was listed as the top inside linebacker of his class. Chris Yeager, who coached the Alabama All-Stars in the 2012 Alabama-Mississippi Classic, compared Foster to
Cornelius Bennett.
Since his sophomore year, Foster was recruited by a number of
SEC schools. In July 2011, Foster verbally committed to
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, citing the NFL pedigree of head coach
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...
and defensive coordinator
Kirby Smart
Kirby Paul Smart (born December 23, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, his alma mater. He coached the 2021 Bulldogs to a national championship victory, their fi ...
as the decisive factor. However, Foster was not firm on his commitment, so other schools continued to recruit him. After transferring to Auburn High School prior to his senior year, Foster decided to de-commit from Alabama, and switched to
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...
. "At the end of the day, I feel like Auburn University is the place for me and my family. I am 100 percent confident with my final decision", said Foster. He went so far to have the Auburn University emblem tattooed on his right arm.
Foster's commitment to the Tigers, however, only lasted until December 2012, when Auburn dismissed head coach
Gene Chizik, and assistant coach
Trooper Taylor
Carl "Trooper" Taylor (born February 20, 1970) is an American college football coach at Duke University. Taylor was formerly an assistant coach at Auburn University from January 2009 until December 2012 where he served as assistant head coach and ...
, to whom Foster had developed a personal relationship. Foster went through January looking at different schools, including Alabama, Auburn,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
,
Georgia,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
,
Miami (FL), and
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
, with Georgia believed to be the favorite. On
National Signing Day however, Foster re-committed to Alabama.
College career
Foster debuted as a
true freshman for Alabama in the season-opener against
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
, registering one assisted tackle. He appeared in a total of nine games over the season, registering 12 tackles (four solo), including one tackle for a loss of yardage. Competing to fill the vacancy at inside linebacker left by
Butkus Award winner
C. J. Mosley, Foster was injured during spring practice on April 5, 2014.
The starting linebacker job eventually went to
Reggie Ragland
Reggie Keith Ragland Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, winning two national championships. He was then drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round o ...
, but Foster still played in 11 games and had the third-most special teams tackles on the team with eight. He made his first career start at the middle linebacker position against
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
, compiling seven total tackles with two solo stops and a tackle for loss (−2 yards). Foster finished his sophomore season with 22 tackles including 11 solo stops, two tackles for loss (−5 yards) and one sack (−3 yards, against
Texas A&M).
In his junior year, Foster took over as starting inside linebacker from
Trey DePriest, and finished second on the team with 73 total tackles, eight for a loss (−24 yards), on the season. He also registered two sacks (−7 yards), three quarterback hurries, and nine pass breakups. Returning for his senior season, he was widely regarded as one of the best linebackers in college football. ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', and numerous other outlets named him a midseason All-American. After the season, he was awarded the Butkus Award, given to the nation's best linebacker. As a senior in 2016, Foster finished with 115 tackles, 13 for losses, and five sacks.
Professional career
On January 18, 2017, it was reported that Foster and Alabama teammate
Jonathan Allen declined their invitations to play in the
2017 Senior Bowl
The 2017 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2017 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded th ...
.
On February 13, 2017, it was revealed that Foster underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn rotator cuff. Foster was one of 19 collegiate linebackers to attend the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, but was sent home after getting into a heated argument with a student hospital worker while receiving his medical examination at the combine. Foster objected to the way he was being treated and was
sent home before being able to meet with team representatives from any NFL teams.
During the combine, it was announced that Foster had failed a drug test. On March 8, 2017, Foster attended Alabama's pro day and set scheduled private meetings with NFL teams to discuss the incident that took place at the combine.
On April 20, 2017, it was revealed that Foster's urine sample was reported as dilute, which is treated like a positive test.
At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Foster was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top inside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, was ranked the top linebacker by NFL analysts
Mike Mayock
Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...
and
Gil Brandt
Gil Brandt (born March 4, 1932) is an American former football executive who was the vice president of player personnel in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsi ...
,
and was ranked the second best linebacker (behind
Temple's Haason Reddick
Haason Samir Reddick (born September 22, 1994) is an American football outside linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple, and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fi ...
) by
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
San Francisco 49ers
2017
The
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
selected Foster in the first round (31st overall) of the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. He was the third inside linebacker, behind
Haason Reddick
Haason Samir Reddick (born September 22, 1994) is an American football outside linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple, and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fi ...
and
Jarrad Davis
Jarrad Davis (born November 16, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Early years
Davis attended Camd ...
, and the fifth linebacker selected in 2017. Foster was also the first of two linebackers drafted by the 49ers in 2017, along with
Pita Taumoepenu. On June 9, 2017, the 49ers signed Foster to a four-year,
$9.03 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
with $6.87 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $4.71 million.
He joined a revamped linebacker corp that consisted of
NaVorro Bowman,
Ahmad Brooks,
Elvis Dumervil, and
Malcolm Smith. Foster was slated to backup newly acquired free agent Malcolm Smith, but was named the starting right outside linebacker after Smith suffered a torn pectoral during training camp.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
San Francisco 49ers' season-opener against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
and recorded three solo tackles and deflected a pass during their 23-3 loss. He left the game after suffering an apparent ankle injury. He suffered the injury in the first quarter while pursuing
Christian McCaffrey and was inactive for the next five games (Weeks 2-6). Foster's first career tackle came on the first drive after he tackled McCaffrey on a seven-yard reception. He returned in Week 7 and was named the starting middle linebacker after the 49ers released the veteran NaVorro Bowman. Foster finished the 49ers' 40-10 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
with five combined tackles, but left in the third quarter after suffering a rib injury. On November 5, 2017, Foster recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles in the 20–10 loss to the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. He finished his rookie season with 72 combined tackles (59 solo) and a pass deflection in ten games and ten starts.
Pro Football Focus gave Foster an overall grade of 90.7 for 2017. His overall grade ranked first among all rookie linebackers and fourth amongst all linebackers.
2018
On July 3, 2018, Foster was suspended two games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, stemming from a weapons offense and a misdemeanor drug offense. Following another arrest for domestic violence on November 24, 2018, Foster was released by the 49ers. 49ers head coach
Kyle Shanahan stated that the decision was made as the arrest and all other previous issues made him "very hard to trust".
Washington Redskins / Football Team
![Reuben Foster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Reuben_Foster.jpg)
Foster was claimed off of
waivers by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on November 27, 2018. Regarding the decision to claim him, Redskins senior vice president of player personnel,
Doug Williams, stated that he and the rest of the team were fully aware of the allegations that led to his arrest, adding that Foster would have to go through the legal process and accept any other punishment, from the league or elsewhere, before he could ever play in a game for them. He added that the Redskins decided to take a chance on him after consulting with a number of his ex-Alabama teammates on the team, and hoped that being around them would provide him with the "best possible" environment to succeed on and off the field. He was then placed on the commissioner's exempt list by the league. Head coach
Jay Gruden further added that it was not guaranteed he would ever play for the team, saying that Foster had "a lot of work to do" before they would accept him playing for them. In April 2019, an internal NFL investigation found no evidence to support his suspension, with his reinstatement to the team's active roster. Instead, he was fined two game checks and put into an accountability plan developed in conjunction with the
NFLPA and the Redskins, which included counseling, a living arrangement, weekly meetings, and community service to help him avoid future incidents.
During his first practice with the team in May 2019, Foster fell and suffered a
torn ACL
An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...
and
LCL
LCL can mean:
Science, technology, and medicine
* Lateral collateral ligament (disambiguation), one of several ligaments located on the lateral side of a joint:
** Fibular collateral ligament, a ligament of the knee joint
** Lateral collateral ...
and was subsequently placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. Still recovering from the injury, he was placed on the
physically unable to perform list on July 27, 2020 and activated on August 9, 2020, before being placed on injured reserve again on September 5, 2020. His contract with the team expired after the 2020 season.
Personal life
Foster was born to Inita Berry Paige and Danny Foster on April 4, 1994. His parents were estranged in November 1995 when Foster shot Paige in the back. She was holding her 18-month-old son, Reuben Foster. Danny Foster was indicted by a
grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
in 1996 but fled the state before being arrested in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He was extradited to Randolph County but escaped from jail in December 1996. He took on a new identity in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
but was arrested after spending 16 years on the run and was extradited to
Randolph County, Alabama. Foster has a daughter, A‘Zyia, who was born in 2009.
Legal issues
On January 13, 2018, Foster was arrested in Alabama by the
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office for possession of marijuana. On February 11, 2018, Foster was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, threats, and assault weapon possession charges. On April 12, he was charged with felony counts of multiple domestic violence, possession of a weapon, and infliction of bodily harm. On April 25, Foster's girlfriend through her lawyer made a statement saying “(Foster) did not strike her, injure her or threaten her,” and that the domestic violence claims were made after Foster attempted to end the relationship after she told him her injuries resulted from a fight with another woman. On May 17, Elissa Ennis testified under oath that she had fabricated the story "as a money scheme".
On November 24, 2018, Foster was arrested again on probable cause misdemeanor domestic violence charges, and was released by the 49ers the following day. Shortly after his release, he was claimed off waivers by the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, a move that was criticized by many. In January 2019, the State Attorney's Office in Florida dropped the charges, claiming that there was insufficient evidence against him after reviewing the case.
References
External links
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Reuben
1994 births
Living people
Alabama Crimson Tide football players
All-American college football players
American football linebackers
Auburn High School (Alabama) alumni
People from LaGrange, Georgia
People from Roanoke, Alabama
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
San Francisco 49ers players
Washington Football Team players
Washington Redskins players