Former New Orleans Saints defensive end dies in police custody
Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Glenn Foster Jr. died on Monday, just two days after being taken into police custody, according to NOLA.com. He was 31 years old.
The cause of Foster’s death remains unclear, and police officials told NOLA.com that they could not comment on the cause or location of death, given that the case is still under investigation. Foster was booked in Pickens, County, Alabama on Saturday, and jail records obtained by NOLA.com reveal that he was taken in on counts of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and attempting to elude police. He was then rebooked on Sunday on counts of simple assault and robbery.
Born and raised in Illinois, where he eventually attended college at the University of Illinois, many did not become aware of Foster’s death until an Illinois state representative posted on Twitter, saying, in part, Rest Powerfully, Little Brother. From Chicago to Champaign to New Orleans. You left your mark everywhere you went.”
Foster, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive end, redshirted his first year at Illinois in 2008. He was a top-15 recruit in the state of Illinois, and after only playing three games in his redshirt freshman year, he then played three years — 2010, 2011 and 2012 — without missing a contest. His senior season, he started all 12 games for Illinois and racked up 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and one quarterback hurry, but Foster would ultimately go undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Foster ended up playing two seasons for the New Orleans Saints, being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and playing through the 2014 season before moving on from professional football. He played in 12 games his rookie year, five games in his second season and tallied eight tackles, four tackles for a loss and three sacks in his two-year NFL career.
After his NFL career, Foster remained in southeast Louisiana and worked as a real estate agent.
“I really can’t find the words to properly express,” Foster’s former teammate, Terron Armstead, said on Twitter. “Rest In Peace Glenn Foster, you’ll be missed bro!”