Reuben Foster’s Accuser Recants Domestic Violence Claims

The ex-girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, has admitted that she lied to police about her claims of domestic violence.

According to the woman’s attorney, Stephanie Rickard, the ruptured eardrum and other injuries her client sustained actually occurred during an altercation with another woman, not with Foster.

Rickard said, “(Foster) did not strike her, injure her or threaten her.” Moreover, it appears that Foster attempted to end his relationship with the woman after he found out about the fight. The threat of ending the relationship, is what prompted Foster’s girlfriend to fabricate the story that he attacked her.

“She was extremely upset and told him if he broke up with her she would ‘trash his career,’” Rickard said.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

She said the girlfriend, whom Rickard identified as Elissa Ennis, has told local prosecutors that she wanted to recant, but the district attorney’s office filed charges anyway.

Those charges include domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempted to prevent a victim from reporting a crime and possessed an assault weapon – all felonies. The charge of preventing a victim from reporting a crime often is applied when someone removes or damages someone else’s cellphone to prevent them from calling police.

According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Ennis flagged down a passing car in Los Gatos after she had been dragged by her hair by Foster, punched in the head eight to 10 times by him and was physically thrown from the house.

The DA could use evidence from a variety of sources in prosecuting Foster:

In Foster’s situation, that evidence may include the 911 call on the day of the incident, the medical report from the hospital and any photographs that police took. The district attorney’s office also could call upon the motorist who helped the girlfriend as a witness.

In addition to the district attorney’s prosecution, Foster could still face discipline from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy even if the DA can’t get a conviction. Foster is also facing marijuana charges stemming from an incident in Tuscaloosa.

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn