Two days after the Washington Redskinsclaimed troubled linebacker Reuben Foster, senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said the move was a united decision within the organization.
During his weekly appearance on WTEM-AM, Williams rebutted a Washington Post report that the decision to claim Foster was a divided one within the front office.
"When I read that, I was trying to find out who wasn't united," Williams said, Thursday, via The Post. "This is all the people from the head coach, and myself and [Redskins President Bruce Allen], and of course the owner, who owns this football team, has to know what we're talking about. I don't know who wasn't on board. I don't know where the source comes from. In every organization and every business, everything else, I'm sure they got some leakers who might say something and people take it and run with it. ... Nobody that was in my room was thumbs down."
The Redskins claimed Foster after the 24-year-old was waived by the San Francisco 49ers following an arrest on first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charges. It was the latest in a string of off-field issues for Foster.
The NFL placed Foster on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List on Tuesday -- a move that prevents the second-year linebacker from practicing and playing for the Redskins until the NFL's investigation into Foster's arrest concludes.
Williams acknowledged that he anticipated criticism of the Redskins' controversial move to acquire Foster's rights.
"We knew there was going to be some backlash, and we understand that, and rightfully so," Williams said. "I've got six daughters, so it ain't something I would condone, but at the same time I think we are in the business of at least looking into [his case]. I could sit here, and I won't, name a bunch of teams that took on players that got a lot of baggage that nobody's saying anything about. You can't get into nitpicking what they do and what you do. You gotta look at it from your standpoint. There was a lot of thought that went into it. It wasn't just a spur of the moment type of thing. We all gathered, we talked about it, we knew there was going to be some risk-reward involved in it."
When announcing the decision to claim Foster, Williams noted he had "candid conversations with a number" of the linebacker's ex-Alabama teammates and current Redskins. After some ex-Crimson Tide Redskins said they hadn't spoken to management, Williams clarified that he didn't talk to every former Foster teammate.
"Well, you know, we didn't hold a convention," Williams said when asked about which of Foster's former Alabama teammates the team consulted. "We've got five guys on this team [from Alabama]. If you talk about Arie [Kouandjio], who's on the injured reserve, it's six guys on this football team that went to Alabama, that know [Foster], that played with him or what have you. It wasn't like we gotta talk to all five. The two that we did talk to know him very well. Not that that makes the decision on whether we make the move or not; we're just trying to get some insight into the young man."
