Details a mystery after ex-NFL star, 31, dies in police custody

The parents of former NFL star Glenn Foster Jr are demanding answers after the 31-year-old died in mysterious circumstances.

Details are murky about the death of former NFL star Glenn Foster Jr. Photo: Supplied.

Details surrounding the death of Glenn Foster Jr, the 31-year-old former NFL star, in police custody in Alabama following an arrest earlier this week have been deemed a “mystery”.

The New York Post reports Foster Jr, who played for the New Orleans Saints in 2013 and 2014, was driving from Baton Rouge in the southern US state of Louisiana to Atlanta on business when the incident occurred.

According to Richard Black — the Reform, Alabama police chief who spoke to the New Orleans Times-Picayune — Foster was clocked driving 145km/h in a 70km/h 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, but the situation had been mostly managed prior to this arrest.

This is where the details start to get murky. The Times-Picayune reports Foster got in a fight with a fellow detainee and two guards. Citing court records, the Associated Press reports 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 misdemeanours 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.

“What happened from that time until his death was a mystery,” the Associated Press reports. “Few other details have been released.”

Glenn Foster tragically died. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

When Foster Jr was transported to Birmingham, in Alabama, 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 roster, 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.”

This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Details a mystery after ex-NFL star, 31, dies in police custody