Reuben Foster was due in a Tampa courtroom on Thursday morning for an arraignment on domestic violence charges, but the hearing did not go forward.
WFLA in Tampa reports that the arraignment was called off because the charges against Foster were dismissed. TMZ reports the charges were dismissed by the State Attorney’s Office on January 2.
Foster had been arrested in Tampa on Saturday, November 24 while in town to play the Buccaneers as a member of the 49ers. The linebacker was released the next day and claimed off of waivers by Washington. He never played for Washington as he was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.
The alleged victim was Foster’s ex-girlfriend and the same woman who recanted previous domestic violence allegations against Foster in 2018. Elissa Ennis later said that she lied when recanting those allegations and reports indicated that she intended to take part in this investigation into Foster’s actions. Foster’s agent told TMZ he believes the case was dismissed because of “issues with the witness’ credibility.”
The NFL has disciplined players in the past without criminal charges being filed, so Foster may still face a penalty but the decision to dismiss charges would seem to make it likelier that he will be back on the field at some point during the 2019 season.
