49ers Linebacker who Took a Knee to Protest Police Brutality Just Arrested for Domestic Violence

Do you want a great example of hypocrisy?  On San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has taken a stand against police brutality.  Matt Barrows, a writer who covers the 49ers for The Sacramento Bee, tweeted in October that “Reuben Foster among the eight #49ers who took a knee — hand on heart — during national anthem.”

Here’s the tweet:

Reuben Foster among the eight #49ers who took a knee — hand on heart — during national anthem.

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 22, 2017

But on Sunday, Foster was arrested in Los Gato, California on suspected domestic violence and weapons charges.  (Supposedly, he was also in possession of an “assault rifle.”)  This isn’t the first time he’s been arrested, either.   In fact, just this month, he was caught with marijuana in the state of Alabama, where that’s still illegal.  Niners Nation reported, “Foster was arrested in Alabama for drug possession. If he had been in possession of marijuana in California, it would not have been a crime.”  His punishment?  “The NFL substance abuse program would suggest a fine,” Niners Nation reported, “but recent protocol on marijuana arrests has been one game.”

But that’s not even remotely as serious as a domestic violence and weapons charge.  Here’s what gets me.  I understand that people are upset at police brutality, but here’s a radical thought: why not be opposed to ALL brutality?  Why not just follow the laws?  Why smoke pot in Alabama?  Why beat up an intimate partner…  anywhere?  It sort of makes the big public statement against the police seem more theatre than idealism, doesn’t it?

Here’s a photo of Foster showing off his new shoes before a game against the Los Angeles Rams last year:

Embed from Getty Images

Very nice shoes.  But maybe — just maybe — he should think about ridding his own life of brutality.  That will lower the amount of violence in this nation more than any political maneuvers on a football field ever will.

Image Credit: By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (San Francisco 49ers National Anthem Kneeling) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hat Tip: Twitchy and Niners Nation