NFL executives were reportedly stunned when Washington decided to claim Ruben Foster, the former linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, following his latest arrest for domestic violence.

“I wouldn't even present it to my owner,” said one anonymous general manager, as reported by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. “…I didn't even think about claiming him. I couldn't believe they did.”

“What do they gain by doing this now?” said another front office official, according to La Canfora. “It reflects poorly on the entire league. It makes all of us look bad…  I'm kind of disgusted by it.”

Foster has a history of legal troubles. On Jan. 13, 2018, it was announced Foster had been arrested in Alabama for possession of marijuana. On Feb. 11, 2018, Foster was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, threats, and assault weapon possession charges and on April 12, he was charged with felony counts of multiple domestic violence, possession of a weapon, and infliction of bodily harm. San Francisco kept Foster on their roster, and Foster's girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, recanted her allegations. 

On November 24, Foster was arrested again for misdemeanor domestic violence charges, and the 49ers released him the next day.

“I can tell you it was a situation where we laid out some very specific ground rules for Reuben, as we do for all our players,” said John Lynch, the general manager of the 49ers. “Unfortunately what transpired yesterday, this isn’t a comment on what happened there, because that would be mere speculation on our part. It’s more of a comment on him not living up to what we had communicated and to the energy and time that we’ve invested into him.”

Foster will remain on the exempt list until the matter is settled, and he could face suspension by the league. The NFL has promised that repeated offenses could disqualify a player from taking the field ever again, however, the previous felony assault charges against Foster were dropped after Ennis recanted her allegations. Ennis is the alleged victim in the latest incident.