Reuben Foster's ex-girlfriend recants domestic violence claims

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ByChris Nguyen KGO logo
Friday, April 27, 2018
Reuben Foster's ex-girlfriend recants domestic violence claims
The ex-girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has recanted her allegations of domestic violence, saying she lied to authorities about him hitting her at his Los Gatos home in February.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The ex-girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has recanted her allegations of domestic violence, saying she lied to authorities about him hitting her at his Los Gatos home in February. However, Foster isn't entirely in the clear, as a cloud of certainty lingers over his future with the team.

RELATED: Ex-girlfriend of 49ers' Reuben Foster recants domestic violence claims

Wednesday afternoon, an attorney for Foster's ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, released a statement saying her client made up the story because he threatened to break up with her after learning she had been in a fight with another woman.

Ennis, speaking through her attorney, Stephanie Rickard, said her previous injuries were a result of the fight she had with the woman and not Foster. She also said she had video evidence to prove her story. But despite her attempts to recant her story prior to charges being filed, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office opted to move forward with the case, which isn't uncommon in domestic violence cases.

Steven Clark, legal analyst and former prosecutor, says it is unlikely Ennis will face any charges for lying to investigators. He also cautions that the DA's office wouldn't have filed charges against Foster unless they had a strong reason to believe that something did in fact happen between him and Ennis.

RELATED: 49ers Reuben Foster charged with felony domestic violence

"What was said to the doctors? What does the forensic evidence suggest? And this preexisting fight that occurred, is that something that could've led to these types of injuries?" says Clark.

In a written statement, Rickard wrote: "Ennis realizes the attention that this case is drawing from the media, especially given the recent scandals about domestic violence involving NFL players and the #MeToo movement, but that this case isn't one of those. Ennis apologizes to everyone that may have been harmed in this case, especially Mr. Foster."

The 49ers have indicated their desire to see Foster's case end before making any decisions about his future with the team, but said earlier this week that he would be removed if the domestic violence charges were proven to be true.

For now, Foster remains in contact with the 49ers, but is not taking part in team activities. He is due back in court on Monday.

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