REFORM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has decided that the family of former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr., who passed away while in the custody of Alabama law enforcement, may file a lawsuit claiming that excessive force caused his death.
Three days after being arrested and transported to jail in rural Pickens County for allegedly speeding and trying to avoid police, Foster, a former defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, passed away on December 6, 2021.
Foster was ordered by a judge to be brought to a Tuscaloosa medical institution for a mental health assessment. When Foster got at the facility, he was discovered unconscious in the back of a police car. After almost half an hour, he was declared dead.
Pamela Foster, his widow, sued the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and jail officials, claiming that Foster had been strangled, assaulted, and shocked with a Taser while incarcerated. A federal judge was then asked to dismiss the case by the defendants.
The accusations of excessive force and failure to act were not dismissed by U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon on Thursday. Axon threw out other parts of the case. The decision was made one day prior to Foster’s third death anniversary.
In 2013 and 2014, Foster played in 17 games for the Saints.
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