San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster had the domestic violence charges against him dropped on Wednesday. As a result, 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a statement (per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network) that Foster will rejoin the team for OTAs on Thursday.

“The organization is aware the domestic violence charges against Reuben Foster were dismissed earlier today. As a result, he will have the opportunity to rejoin the team tomorrow.”

The charge against Foster was dropped after the stunning revelation by his ex-girlfriend that he made up the story about him hitting her in order to extort money from him.

Lynch had previously said that Foster wouldn’t take part in the team’s offseason activities while he dealt with his legal matter. He also said the team would cut Foster if he was found guilty of the domestic violence charge. But since Foster’s been cleared of the charge, he is now free to return to the team.

From a football sense, the Niners should be glad to have Foster back in the fold. As a rookie last year, Foster emerged as one of the more promising players on the 49ers’ defense. He finished with 72 total tackles in just 10 games. After that impressive rookie year, he'll be expected to take on a bigger role in the defense during his sophomore season.

It remains to be seen whether the NFL still decides to hand Foster a suspension despite the fact that his ex-girlfriend admitted to lying about him hitting her. Regardless of what happens, though, Foster will at least get the chance to prepare for the season with the team.