The father of Glenn Foster Jr., the former NFL player who died in police custody, said that his son had bipolar disorder and may have had a manic episode in the days before his death.
Foster, 31, was arrested in western Alabama on Dec. 4 after officers saw him allegedly driving as fast as 90 mph in a 45-mph speed limit zone and forced him to stop after a pursuit using a spike strip. He faced three charges: reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and attempting to elude police. Foster died two days later in a medical facility outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Glenn Foster Sr. told CNN on Wednesday that his son was "uncooperative" and "not being reasonable" when he last spoke to him on the day before his arrest.
"You could tell he was not his normal self," he said, adding that his son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was younger and that he had a manic episode while he was in college.
Foster Sr. said that his son "was in mental distress. We could see he was not in the best frame of mind, and we indicated that to the police chief," of Reform, Alabama, Police Chief Richard Black.
Black told NOLA.com that he contacted the former New Orleans Saints player’s family due to concerns about his erratic behavior. He said that when he and the family arrived at the jail on Sunday with plans to admit Foster to a hospital, but said that "something happened" while they were waiting for him.
"We went to bond him out and something happened at the jail and they wouldn’t let us get him," Black said. "I really don’t know medically what was going on, but based on what I learned, it was not normal."
Foster’s death is currently under investigation by state authorities.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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