Domestic abuse charges against Washington Redskins’ linebacker Reuben Foster have been dropped. But his ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis insists it wasn’t the only time. (Photo: Getty Images; AP)

Court documents obtained by multiple news organizations Thursday revealed that the pending domestic abuse charges against Washington Redskins’ linebacker Reuben Foster have been dropped. The case, brought by Foster’s ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis, stemmed from a Nov. 24 incident in which his former partner alleges he “slapped” her and broke her phone.

A misdemeanor domestic violence charge against Washington LB Reuben Foster has been dropped, according to court records. https://t.co/bmmB65wqHK — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 3, 2019

Foster was arrested on “suspicion of misdemeanor domestic abuse battery,” prompting the San Francisco 49ers to release him. But just days later, Foster signed a four-year, $9 million contract with the Washington Redskins. He’s been placed on the NFL commissioner’s exempt list since — allowing the 24-year-old to get paid without playing.

Just hours after the news broke that the case had been dropped, TMZ released photos that appear to show Foster’s ex-girlfriend, Ennis, with a large bruise on her cheek and marks on her chest.

NFL's Reuben Foster Domestic Violence Charge Dropped … Injury Photos EXCLUSIVE 1:24 PM PT — TMZ Sports has obtained the injury photos of Elissa Ennis — the woman who claims Foster… https://t.co/ljTg05VPsv — Nandar Pictures (@nandarent) January 3, 2019

In an interview with Good Morning America in early December, Ennis said that the fight happened while the two were on a break. “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,” said Ennis. “I told him that I was going to tell his new girlfriend that he paid for my flight out there, so that’s what triggered it.”

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In the GMA interview, with host Linsey Davis, Ennis said it wasn’t the first incident. “One time the neighbors called the police,” she told Davis. “Reuben threw my clothes out the balcony … he dragged me down the stairs — two or three times — he punched me in the face, pulled me by my hair, kicked me and spit on me.”

Davis also brought up arguably the most complicated part of Ennis’s case: the fact that she defended Foster under oath in February, recanting her report that he had abused her. But looking back now, she insists it was a mistake. “I loved him and love will have you doing things that’s not in your best interest,” she told GMA. “I thought that he would change — anybody in my position, they would have done the same thing.”

In a statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said they are “monitoring all developments in the matter, which continues to be under review by the league.”

Although officials have — as of now — cleared Foster of any charges, Ennis still insists that she survived months of domestic abuse. If so, she would be one of millions of women (and men) who face violence at the hands of someone they love. To learn more about how to spot the signs of domestic violence, read this.

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