Authorities launch probe after ex-New Orleans Saints player dies in police custody

Alabama authorities launched a probe into the death of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Glenn Foster Jr., who died after being taken into police custody, NBC News reported. 

The Pickens County Coroner’s office confirmed to news media outlets Tuesday that Foster Jr. died on Monday. 

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said that Foster was in custody at the time of his death, adding that his body has been moved to the state’s forensic department as part of the inquiry. 

“Nothing further is available as the investigation is ongoing,” the agency said in a statement. “Once complete, the findings will be turned over to the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office.”

According to inmate records, Foster was taken into custody on Saturday in connection to three counts of reckless endangerment, including a count each of attempting to elude police and resisting arrest, NBC News reported. 

Police records also indicate that Foster was initially released from custody in one case on Sunday, just to be rebooked a few minutes later on charges of simple assault and robbery in the third degree, according to NBC News. 

Foster, a Chicago, Ill. native, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2013, spending two seasons in New Orleans before being released in 2015. 

Foster, a University of Illinois football team alum, founded the Southern Louisiana Granite company along with his wife, Pamela, after his departure from the league, NBC News reported. 

The Alabama State Bureau of Investigations is handling the case of Foster Jr.’s death, NBC News noted.