The details surrounding the death of Glenn Foster Jr., the 31-year-old former Saints defensive lineman, in police custody in Alabama following an arrest earlier this week have been deemed a “mystery.”
Foster Jr., who played for the Saints in 2013 and ’14, was driving from Baton Rouge to Atlanta on business when the incident occurred.
According to Richard Black — the Reform, Ala police chief who spoke to the New Orleans Times-Picayune — Foster was clocked driving 90 miles per hour in a 45 mile-per-hour zone last Friday. A police chase ensued. A spike strip failed to stop Foster, but he eventually crashed. As he was taken into custody, he allegedly engaged in a “small, minor tussle” with officers that resulted in no injuries.
Foster’s family arrived in the town, and it appeared he would be bailed out and referred for medical evaluation. According to his parents, Foster was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 20 years old, but the situation had been mostly managed prior to this arrest.
This is where the details start to get murky. The Times-Picayune reports that Foster got in a fight with a fellow detainee and two guards. Citing court records, the Associated Press reports that Foster fought a Pickens County deputy and a correctional officer while being handcuffed, with the deputy sustaining nose and hand injuries.
Foster, who had originally been charged with misdemeanors including reckless endangerment and resisting arrest related to the traffic chase, was then re-booked on several felony assault and battery charges and denied bond.
“[W]hat happened from that time until his death was a mystery,” the Associated Press reports. “Few other details have been released.”
When Foster Jr. was transported to Birmingham, about 30 minutes away from where he was being held in jail, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Foster’s parents want answers, feeling that he did not receive proper care for his condition while in custody.
“We want justice for our son,” Foster’s father, Glenn Foster Sr., told the Times-Picayune. “It’s unfair. It’s inhumane. It’s just not right.”
“I can’t get my son back, but we want whoever is responsible to pay for this,” said his mother, Sabrina Foster.
No cause of death has been released by the Pickens County Medical Examiner & Coroner’s Office. The case of the circumstances surrounding his death has been referred to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation.
Drew Brees, the future Hall of Fame quarterback who overlapped with Foster on the Saints, mourned his former teammate on Instagram.
“My heart goes out to the family and friends of my former teammate Glenn Foster,” Brees wrote in his Instagram caption. “I’ll always remember his smile and positive nature.”