Former University of Alabama football superstar was arrested Thursday on a felony charge of domestic violence and is facing up to 11 years in jail.

Reuben Foster has always been an outstanding talent on the field. At Alabama, he was a defensive superstar – so much so that opposing offenses would have to game plan their game around him.

Unfortunately, he’s had a history of off-the-field issues, and they’ve been costly. This time, his explosive nature has likely cost him his career and his freedom.

He started a rocky path to the NFL, with his draft stock falling after he got into an altercation and hit a trainer at the 2017 NFL Combine. He was projected to be an early first-round pick, but with this incident fresh on everyone’s minds, he fell into the second round.

This is the third time Reuben has been arrested in 2018. In January, he was charged with second-degree marijuana possession in Alabama, and in February, he was booked on domestic violence charges and suspected possession of an assault weapon.

According to the police report for this most recent incident, Reuben hit his girlfriend in the head 10 times, then dragged her to the door by her hair and threw her out of his house in California. The 28-year-old girlfriend managed to wave down a stranger’s car and asked to call the police from their phone. She was reported to have bruises all over and a busted eardrum.

This is awful for a rookie who started 10 games this season for the 49ers while tallying 72 tackles. Reuben has tremendous upside, yet he needs to get his head on straight before he finds himself without a job – which is very likely for this situation.

There’s a growing intolerance for bad behavior in the NFL. Stars often get cut after being charged with domestic violence and never seem to bounce back. Former players such as running back Ray Rice, wideout Davone Bess and defensive end Greg Hardy were never able to bounce back, let alone get a solid role on a team after these incidents.

Rueben should not be given preferential treatment because of his athleticism, though. If he is, shame on the courts on shame on the NFL. They’re not doing him – or his victims – any favors. However, if he does see the field again the NFL will not be doing opposing offenses any favors.