Former NFL defensive lineman Glenn Foster Jr. died Monday, shortly after being taken into police custody in Alabama, according to an official with the Picken’s County coroner’s office.
Foster, 31, was arrested Sunday on charges of reckless endangerment and resisting arrest by “attempt to elude.” The charges were later modified to three counts of simple assault and one count of third-degree robbery.
According to court records obtained by The Associated Press, Foster fought against a Pickens County deputy and a correctional officer while being handcuffed. The deputy’s nose and hand were injured.
Court docs also said Foster was “non-compliant and refused to respond to answer any questions” aside from asking for an attorney during his initial court appearance.
The judge believed Foster was “not mentally stable and a danger to himself and others” and ordered the former football player to be held without bond for a mental evaluation.
Few details have been released about what happened from that time to his death, but relatives fear authorities delayed potentially life-saving care for him even though they knew he got into a fight with officers and might have been experiencing a mental health crisis.
“I can’t get my son back, but we want whoever is responsible to pay for this,” his mother, Sabrina Foster, told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
Coroner Chad Harless said he could not comment on an official cause of death, and autopsy results are pending. He did confirm that he is in possession of Foster’s body and his death is still under investigation.
Foster played football for the University of Illinois before playing in the NFL. He played for the Saints in 2013 and 2014 but was cut from the team in 2015. After his football career was over, he stayed in the New Orleans area, working as a real estate agent, developer, and contractor.
