On Oct. 9, 2017, the life of Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster changed forever. This was the day that footage of him snorting cocaine at the team facility surfaced online. The video quickly went viral, and Foerster resigned from coaching. He has not been in the league since, but that recently changed when he became a consultant for the San Francisco 49ers.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan sat down recently with NBC Sports Bay Area to explain why Foerster is getting another chance in the NFL with a former co-worker. The pair previously spent four seasons together with the Washington Redskins, where Shanahan was the offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013. As the head coach of the 49ers explained, Foerster did something stupid and has been paying for that decision ever since. However, he has been putting in work to get his life back on track.
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“We found out about it [the video] when the whole world found out about it,” Shanahan said. “When it happened, we were as shocked as anyone, from my wife to anybody. It’s nothing I’d want to stick up for. These are extremely bad things that I know he’s not proud of, and I’m not proud of.
“He did something extremely stupid, and since then, he has hit rock bottom. He went to rehab for 60 days, and then he was in a 90-day outpatient rehab. For the last two years, he’s been in a 12-step program that he’s been to every single night seven days a week.”
As it turns out, Foerster is actually a consultant and has been since the 2018 season. He’s not technically a coach on staff, which meant that Shanahan did not have to make his role with the team public. He started by typing up scouting reports for upcoming teams on the 49ers schedule from his home but has recently been coming to the team facility as his role expands.
“This year, we took it a step forward,” Shanahan said. “We brought him in part-time but still a consultant, but he is in the office at times. He’s able to do things like watch film with us, but he’s still in a consulting role.”
Under NFL rules, a consultant is allowed to participate on the field during practice sessions while also attending team meetings, but they aren’t allowed to participate at games. This could happen in the future given Foerster’s past as a successful offensive line coach, but Shanahan and the 49ers are taking a methodical approach. For now, Foerster is simply watching film and attending position group and team meetings.
That being said, the team could see this role expanding as Foerster continues to prove that he is following the set standards while getting his life back on track. For now, they simply want to help him make some money, rebuild his life and reputation, and remain clean.
“Whether it helps him with the 49ers or helps him somewhere else, I know he’s a good coach who went through a very hard time, made some huge mistakes that he is dealing with, and deserves to deal with those because they were messed-up things,” Shanahan said. “I also know how he feels about those mistakes and what he’s done over the last two years to try and make amends, and I know he’s continuing to do that.
“I’m just pulling for him that he can keep up with it. If he does keep up with it, then whether it’s with the 49ers or with someone else, you’re going to get a good person and a good coach. I’m just really hoping that he can get back to being the healthy guy I knew in Washington, and that’s what I see so far.”
