Alabama LB Reuben Foster Failed Drug Test At Combine

Alabama LB Reuben Foster tells Ian Rapoport that he was notified at the Combine that his urine sample was diluted and “this will be treated like a positive test“, due to the NFL’s policy and program for substances of abuse.

Foster apparently wanted to get ahead of the news and announce it himself, as opposed to it being leaked out.

“This is something that’s going to get out,” Foster said. “I don’t make excuses. I’m a real dude. I try to be a good person. … I just hope the coaches understand and that’s all I can hope and pray for.” 

According to Foster, he believes the diluted sample was caused by food poisoning.

“I couldn’t eat much, but I had to drink water and Gatorade,” said Foster. “Then a few coaches said something about me being too light. And I’m a coach-pleaser. I don’t care what everybody thinks, but I care what coaches think. So I drank and ate as much as I could without throwing up. Then I went in there, drinking and drinking water, trying to flush out my system from whatever was making me sick and trying to keep my weight up and took the test.”

Foster acknowledged that this very well could impact his draft status next week.

“If it’s first round, second round, whoever takes me will get a good football player and an All-Pro,” Foster said. “I hope I go on Thursday, but I can’t control that.”

This comes after Foster was sent home at the Combine after he got into a heated altercation with a hospital worker. Foster was waiting for an extended period for his “pre-exam” when he grew increasingly impatient and began questioning a hospital worker, who didn’t appreciate Foster’s words. This led to the heated exchange.

Foster visited with the Colts, Saints, Bengals, Lions, Titans, Ravens, Chiefs and Jaguars and reportedly a meeting lined up with the Raiders before he had to cancel it.

Foster is considered by many to not only be the best linebacker in this year’s draft class, but also one of the top defensive players overall.

According to Rapoport, Foster has had his shoulder rechecked after the incident that took place at the Combine and he has full range of motion. Rapoport adds that Foster would have been at medical re-checks, regardless but he also needs to complete the full medical evaluation.

During his college three-year career at Alabama, Foster recorded 211 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and nine pass defenses over the course of 39 games.