Glenn Foster, Jr.

On December 6, 2021, 31-year-old Glenn Foster Jr., former defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, was killed while in custody of the Pickens County Sheriff’s office. Foster’s death came three days after he was arrested for allegedly speeding and attempting to elude police in Reform, Alabama. In December 2023, Foster’s family filed a lawsuit. The complaint asserts that immediately after Foster was apprehended, a Pickens County sheriff’s deputy wrestled him to the ground, slamming his head into the concrete. The cops refused to give Foster medical and mental health checks even after they were urged to do so by emergency medical personnel arriving on the scene. Foster’s family posted bail money and still the cops refused to release him. Instead, for more than 24 hours officers tortured him, stripped him naked, strapped him to a chair and tased him repeatedly before choking him unconscious.

The complaint goes on to explain that the next day when Foster was to be driven to a hospital for a court-ordered mental health evaluation, he appeared unresponsive. As his legs hung outside the police car that was to take him to the hospital, officers forced him into the back seat by pushing him and yanking him by the neck in a “chokehold maneuver.” After the approximately half-hour ride to the hospital in Northport, in Tuscaloosa County, authorities found Foster slumped over, his skin discolored, and foaming from his nostrils and mouth. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An independent autopsy conducted by Dr. Michael Baden, the former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, determined that Foster “did not did not die of natural causes” and that “there was some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation.” Upon filing the lawsuit, Attorney Ben Crump said, “We know there’s video. The only question is: What happened to the video?”

Foster and his wife Pamela had four young children. He was known to be generous and selfless. Shortly after retiring from the NFL, he worked as a general contractor, developer and real estate agent, and together with his wife opened a stone fabricating business. Recalling that Foster had put up money to help him start a business, one friend noted “this dude was this way with everyone.” He also volunteered with youth groups and established a foundation that he envisioned as a resource for aspiring entrepreneurs. His widow, Pamela, and parents have been vigilant in fighting to make his case known and to hold the cops accountable.

At the time Foster was killed he was the third black man who has been killed by police or who died in police custody under questionable circumstances in Pickens County (population 20,000) since 2019. Pickens County is particularly secretive of its police activities. Although statistics regarding complaints of misconduct, excessive force, discrimination and criminal misconduct are unavailable, what is known is that 58 percent of arrests are for low-level offenses. A recent picture of policing in the county came to light with the videotaping of a Reform police officer using a stun gun on the back of a handcuffed black man.

We demand that the police archives be opened to public scrutiny. Statements by the cops involved and by any witnesses must be released, including emails and texts. Any video recordings of the events must be made public. Were any of the officers involved in other killings, been the subject of brutality complaints or disciplines, either in Pickens County or any prior police agencies? We demand their personnel files and incident reports be opened.