John Lynch on Monday acknowledged the 49ers were surprised by the severity of the charges filed against Reuben Foster earlier this month but remain optimistic their star linebacker won't be convicted of them.
"We believe right now that it's wise to be patient and that all the information's not there yet," Lynch said. "So we sit back and wait for that to come, and at the given time when we think the next step is appropriate, then we'll make that decision."
If the allegations against Foster are true, Lynch said, the team's decision will be an easy one: "I do want to be very clear, abundantly clear," he said, "that if these charges are proven true, if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won’t be part of our organization moving forward.