Kyle Shanahan defends using coach with drug past as consultant

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan defended his team’s decision to bring on an ex-Miami Dolphins coach who infamously featured in a cocaine video.

Chris Foerster, a former Miami Dolphins assistant, quit his job in 2017 after video surfaced of him snorting cocaine. On Friday, it was revealed that he is working in a consultant role with the 49ers.

Shanahan admitted that Foerster has been working with the team since 2018. His role has been limited to watching film and attending meetings, and has not been on the field during practices or games. The coach added that Foerster completed outpatient rehab after the video surfaced and has been in a 12-step program on a nightly basis since.

“We are not going to act like flat out it didn’t happen and just let him back in right away,” Shanahan said, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We are taking a very slow process, and that’s why we did the first year the way we did and why it led to the second year.

“He’s done that exactly the right way for two years. We will see if he continues to do that, and then we will reassess that after this year. If it continues to go well, I think he has a chance to get his life back on track. And that’s really all we are trying to do.”

Foerster’s addiction with the Dolphins was so severe that some of the stories surrounding it are quite awful. The 49ers are clearly confident that he is still receiving the help he needs, and they’re keeping him in a minor role for now because of it.