Tuesday's NFL: San Francisco 49ers' Reuben Foster suspended vs. Lions
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster was suspended Tuesday without pay for the first two games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s conduct and substance-abuse policy.
The NFL said Foster will also be fined for violations from a weapons offense and misdemeanor drug charge that were resolved earlier this offseason.
Foster will miss games against Minnesota and Detroit before being allowed to return on Sept. 17.
“I accept the League’s decision and am sorry that my mistakes have hurt my team,” Foster said in a statement.
Foster was charged in January in Alabama with second-degree marijuana possession. That charge was eventually dismissed after he completed a first-time offender diversion course.
Foster then faced more serious charges for an incident in California in February. He was initially charged in April with felonies for domestic violence, making criminal threats and weapons possession after being accused of beating up his ex-girlfriend.
A judge ruled there was no probable cause on the first two charges after the ex-girlfriend recanted the allegations and the judge found no other evidence to support the charges. The weapons charge was reduced to a misdemeanor and Foster pleaded no-contest to that in June.
Packers running back Aaron Jones and right guard Jamon Brown of the Los Angeles Rams also got two-game suspensions for substance abuse policy violations.
Edelman suspended
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will miss the first four games of the 2018 season for violating NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
NFL officials confirmed Tuesday that Edelman would be suspended without pay for the Patriots’ first four regular-season games. ESPN had reported last month that Edelman was facing a four-game suspension.
Extra points
Terrell Owens will celebrate his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Chattanooga, where he played in college. Owens, a former NFL All-Pro receiver who has said he was not attending the induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, said in a statement on Tuesday he would give his acceptance speech at his alma mater.
... Federal authorities say they have intercepted a shipment of 108 phony replica Super Bowl rings representing many past champion teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say the rings were found in an express consignment parcel that arrived June 18 from Hong Kong marked as alloy rings.
... The case against Gillette Stadium worker Ryan Ringuette, who had been charged with emailing a threat to blow up the home of the New England Patriots, has reportedly been dropped by prosecutors in Massachusetts amid doubts about his guilt