Mason Foster expected ‘big, big year’ from Redskins teammate Reuben Foster

Mason Foster was heart broken when he saw fellow Washington Redskins linebacker Reuben Foster suffer what likely is a season-ending torn ACL on the first day of OTA practices.

The two aren’t related, but they are friends. And Mason Foster had high hopes for the contribution Reuben Foster would make in what would have been his first active season since the Redskins signed him last year after the San Francisco 49ers released him following a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and an arrest for domestic violence.

‘To see him go down and just being one of your good friends, it’s crazy’

Reuben Foster had been on the commissioner’s exempt list before being reinstated in April.

“It kind of takes the air out everything. But it’s football and we know we signed up for and you’ve just have to keep working and the next guy has got to come up and make some big plays for us.”

“It’s always tough, just because you spend so much time with these guys, on and off the field,” Mason Foster told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz. “You get to know them, know where they come from and their families. And seeing how much he was growing and how hard he was working, I knew that he was going to have a big, big year for us. So to see him go down and just being one of your good friends, to see that happen to him, it’s crazy. It kind of takes the air out everything. But it’s football and we know we signed up for and you’ve just have to keep working and the next guy has got to come up and make some big plays for us.”

‘He was doing great, working hard, so it kind of breaks your heart to see that happen’

Mason Foster was convinced Reuben would be doing exactly that during the 2019 season before sustaining his non-contact injury.

“It was real unfortunate,” Mason said. “He was doing great, working hard, so it kind of breaks your heart to see that happen to a guy who has been doing everything right and working his way back. But he’s in good spirits. I think he’s a tough kid. I know he’ll be able to bounce back and make the most of it.”