EXCLUSIVE: Ex-girlfriend of NFL star Reuben Foster recounts alleged assault as she speaks out to @ABC News’ @LinseyDavis. https://t.co/IQ2g78h2zS pic.twitter.com/3BWDQbJWuq
— ABC News (@ABC) December 6, 2018
Reuben Foster’s ex-girlfriend now says she was lying on the witness stand when she told a Santa Clara County judge in May that she fabricated domestic violence charges against the linebacker.
In an interview with ABC News that aired on Thursday morning, Elissa Ennis said Foster has struck her three times during their relationship, including during an incident in Los Gatos in February that led to Foster being charged with domestic violence last summer. Those charges were eventually dropped after Ennis said on the witness stand that she made them up, which she now says she did to protect Foster’s career.
“Because I loved him, and love will have to you doing things that’s not in your best interest because (of) the person you love,” Ennis said when asked why she lied.
“I did what I had to do for the person I love. I thought that he would change. Anybody in my position, they would’ve done the same thing if they shared a family with this person.
“He used to come crying to me and tell me he didn’t have anybody. If somebody you love come crying to you, telling you that they didn’t have anybody, you’d do the same thing, too. That’s why I did what I did, because I loved him.
“Reuben threw my clothes off the balcony,” Ennis said of the Los Gatos incident. “He threw my stuff out the house. He dragged me down the stairs two, three times. He punched me in my face two, three times. Pulled me by my hair. Kicked me. Spit on me.”
Ennis also went into detail about the most recent incident that took place on Nov. 24 at the 49ers team hotel in Tampa Bay.
“He called me out there to work on our relationship,” Ennis said. “And, so, I was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re back doing this.’ We were both seeing therapists and stuff, trying to work on our relationship. And so I was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re back doing this.’
“He invited me to come see him in Florida, and I came and he took one of my phones and he slapped me and pushed me. I told him I was going to tell his new girlfriend that he paid for my flight out there, so that’s what triggered it.”
Here are photos of the bruises Ennis says Foster inflicted via ABC:
Ennis questioned the 49ers role in the investigation.
“Even when I called the police, the 49ers came up there,” Ennis said. “… I have pictures of the 49ers coming up there trying to talk to the police telling them I’m the same ex-girlfriend that set up there and lied.”
Foster was released by the team the morning after the incident, but was quickly claimed on waivers by Washington, and placed on the commissioner’s exempt list.
Following the news, the Santa Clara County District Attorney is now exploring the legal options regarding charging Foster again. Foster is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 3 for the most recent incident.
New: Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen office says that they are “exploring the legal options” as far as charging Reuben Foster again for domestic violence in the Bay Area following Elissa Ennis’ reversal of recantation, though he remains non-committal on this. In full: pic.twitter.com/F3NJnCp27w
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 6, 2018