John Lynch: Reuben Foster 'will not be a part' of 49ers if he did hit woman

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster’s status with the team appears to now hinge on the results of his impending legal case.

Foster, a first-round pick in 2017, was charged with three felonies earlier this month, including domestic violence, stemming from an incident in February in which the Santa Clara County (Calif.) District Attorney's office said he ruptured the eardrum of his girlfriend. Prosecutors said the woman flagged down a passing car after Foster threw her out of his home, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Niners general manager John Lynch said Monday during his pre-draft news conference that Foster’s spot on the team could be in jeopardy. Foster has not attended the 49ers voluntary offseason program, which began last week.

“We want to be abundantly clear that if Reuben did in fact hit this young lady, he will not be part of the team,” Lynch said.

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The 49ers previously said Foster's place on the team was under "great scrutiny."

Lynch also said the team is trying to be patient and is communicating with NFL officials about how to proceed. The league previously established the Commissioner’s Exempt List for players facing off-field circumstances.

Lynch’s standard of proof in determining Foster's fate could be tricky given the way the NFL has handled cases of alleged domestic violence since the Ray Rice scandal in 2014.

Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, was placed into a pre-trial diversion program. He was only cut by the Ravens and given an indefinite suspension by the NFL (after initially being banned for two games) after video surfaced of him hitting his then-fiancée.

In the years since, the NFL has investigated domestic violence incidents on its own and punished players under the personal conduct policy, regardless of charges or convictions. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott served a six-game suspension last year stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident even though he was never formally arrested or charged.  

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.