The 49ers have sent linebacker Ahmad Brooks home from Denver, where the team is having joint practices before a preseason game with the Broncos, after he was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery. But there is no word on his future with the franchise.
“We take any charge against a member of this organization seriously and are in communication with the NFL,” 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “Ahmad is returning home to California and will not participate in Saturday’s game.”
Absent from Baalke’s statement is whether the 49ers will allow Brooks, a starting linebacker, to return for Week One. Last year, the 49ers took a great deal of criticism for allowing defensive lineman Ray McDonald to continue playing after he was accused of domestic violence. McDonald continued to play while two other players accused of family violence, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy, were placed on paid leave. Eventually the 49ers cut McDonald when he was accused of raping the same woman that Brooks is accused of committing sexual battery on.
The 49ers’ choices are to allow Brooks to keep playing while he faces these charges, put him on paid leave, or release him. Given their previous actions, it seems likely that they’ll allow Brooks to keep playing unless and until the NFL suspends him. But after the criticism they’ve faced for their handling of McDonald and Aldon Smith, they may feel that they need to take stronger action.
For now, it’s unclear whether or not Brooks will be on the field when the 49ers open the season.