Lawyer Ben Crump: Evidence Shows Former NFL OL Glenn Foster Was Choked Before He Died

An independent autopsy on Glenn Foster Jr. indicates the former NFL player did not die of natural causes while in police custody earlier this month, attorney Ben Crump said in a statement Friday:

Per the statement, the independent autopsy suggested there was some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation.

Foster was booked at Pickens County (Alabama) jail on Dec. 4 and charged with reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and attempting to elude police, per Mike A. Perlstein and Ramon Antonio Vargas of NOLA.com. He was then rebooked at the jail on Dec. 5 on charges of simple assault and robbery. He died the next day while still in custody.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office later said that Foster died at a medical facility, while his family said it feared officials delayed potential life-saving care, per Perlstein and Vargas.

"We want justice for our son," said Foster’s father, Glenn Foster Sr. "It's unfair. It's inhumane. It's just not right."

Crump's statement said he was found unresponsive in the back of a police car before arriving at the medical facility.

According to Crump, this is part of an ongoing trend for this office:

"As we continue to investigate the case, we are learning that Mr. Foster's death in Pickens County appears to be part of a disturbing trend of Black men dying while in the custody of the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. Keeping people in your custody alive is literally the lowest bar we can set for a law enforcement agency and is something that the Pickens County Sheriff's Office failed to do."

Foster spent two seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, tallying three sacks across 17 games. He worked as a contractor, developer and real estate agent following his playing career.