Foster has been accused by prosecutors of hitting his girlfriend at least eight times in the headGetty Images
49ers GM John Lynch said the team is "exercising patience" with LB Reuben Foster, who is facing three felony charges, but Lynch pledged the team's reaction "will be swift if the most heinous of the charges is proven to be accurate," according to Eric Branch of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Lynch yesterday said the 49ers will release Foster, who is accused by prosecutors of "hitting his girlfriend at least eight times in the head." Lynch said, "If these charges are proven true, if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won't be part of our organization moving forward. I think that's the standard we want on our team. That's the standard we are going to operate under." Yesterday was Lynch's "first time" publicly addressing the charges against Foster, acknowledging that he was "surprised when the felony charges were announced." Lynch said that the team "'abhors' domestic violence," but suggested on multiple occasions that he "believes more information will come out that could exonerate Foster." When asked about team policy on domestic violence, Lynch said it is to "look at each situation as a unique one" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/24). Lynch also said that the team is "trying to be patient and is communicating with NFL officials about how to proceed." USA TODAY's Lindsay Jones notes the league "previously established the Commissioner's Exempt List for players facing off-field circumstances." Lynch's standard of proof in determining Foster's fate with the 49ers "could be tricky given the way the NFL has handled cases of alleged domestic violence since the Ray Rice scandal" in '14 (USA TODAY, 4/24).
MAKING THE CALL: NBC Sports Bay Area's Ray Ratto said Lynch is "clinging to ambiguities that have gotten him into the situation where he's had to re-clarify this three times and he really has not clarified it." Ratto: "If he is waiting on a guilty verdict, then nothing has changed. ... If (Foster) didn't lay a hand on her, that's different, but if he did hit her, but does not get convicted, where are we?" NBC Sports Bay Area's Kelli Johnson: "They say, 'This is the standard we want on our team,' now you have to put your money where your mouth is. If they do their own investigation, they're not going to be honest with us if they find out that he did hit her or they had an altercation physically. They won't tell us that. They will wait until the law proves it, and then they'll step back and say, 'Oh, he's not guilty'" ("The Happy Hour," NBC Sports Bay Area, 4/23).
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes almost four years after Rice, the NFL "might finally be getting the message on domestic violence." While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's "arbitrary punishments have left him open to criticism," the commissioner has "at least recognized the seriousness of domestic violence and the league's role in addressing it." The NFL "created awareness programs, mandated training and gave money to groups that help women in crisis." But "whatever good work the league has done has been negated by team owners," who have repeatedly "sent the message that women's lives are immaterial if their abusers are key contributors on the field." Lynch's comments yesterday "didn't go far enough, leaving the door open for Foster to return depending on the court case." Still, Lynch "went further than other NFL executives have," and as "sad as it might be, that counts as progress" (USA TODAY, 4/24).
