New Redskins LB Reuben Foster placed on Commissioner’s exempt list while case is ongoing

The Washington Redskins made a move to acquire Reuben Foster on waivers. That move won’t have an impact on their team until 2019.

The move by the Redskins to claim Reuben Foster was certainly a bizarre one. Foster had been arrested for domestic violence for the second time in his career with the 49ers. He was waived as a result and many expected him to go unclaimed. Instead, the Redskins threw the league a curveball and snapped him up on waivers.

The move itself can be justified from a talent standpoint. Foster is a good linebacker and the Redskins have a need for a three-down guy at the position. But, from a moral standpoint though? There’s really no way of justifying this move.

Even stranger, this move apparently won’t have any sort of impact on the Redskins this season. Shortly after the claim was announced, the NFL placed Foster on the Commissioner’s exempt list, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Here’s what he said about the move on Twitter.

This means that Foster won’t be eligible to play for the team until his case is resolved. That almost certainly won’t happen before the end of the 2018 season, so that means that Foster won’t be a part of the team’s playoff push in the NFC East.

So, the question about this is, why even bother claiming him?

On the one hand, it’s hard to pass up a chance to add a talented player to your roster. And, of course, there’s always a fear in the minds of NFL decision-makers that another team may end up grabbing the talented player and using them to help their team. That is what often motivates owners and general managers to overlook character concerns.

In this specific case, the Redskins almost certainly made the wrong move. Foster would have gone unclaimed had they not put in a waiver for him. Of course, if he did return to the league, that would mean that the ‘Skins wouldn’t have his rights, but at this point in time, Foster doesn’t belong in the NFL. Simply put, he has had his chances and continues to make massive mistakes.

And realistically, the league should have a zero-tolerance policy against domestic violence. But time and time again, they show that they truly are indifferent towards the issue.

Foster should be on the Commissioner’s exempt list while his case is ongoing. He shouldn’t be playing at all. But in addition to that, he shouldn’t be on a roster. The Redskins elected to add him to theirs, and they should rightfully be scrutinized for the decision.

There really was no reason to add Foster even as a potential “future asset.” At the end of the day, the team probably did more harm than good by claiming Foster.