Alabama LB Reuben Foster reportedly failed drug test at NFL combine
Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster‘s path to the NFL has been rocky in recent months.
According to NFL.com, the latest red flag for Foster — Shutdown Corner’s No. 8 overall NFL draft prospect — is that he failed a drug test at the NFL scouting combine. His urine sample came back diluted. According to the NFL’s policy and program for substances of abuse, Foster’s test is treated as a positive test and all 32 teams have been informed of the results.
Foster says food poisoning might have caused the diluted results — points for originality on that one.
According to the result, he was ill prior to the combine and in lieu of taking IV fluids, as a doctor recommended, Foster took matters into his own hands and overdosed on “water and Gatorade,” he said.
Foster, you might remember, was sent home from the combine after he got into a heated exchange with a hospital worker during the medical testing portion of the event after Foster had to wait for hours to be tested. He sent a letter apologizing for his actions to all 32 teams.
Foster was being tested there following rotator cuff surgery in his right shoulder that would have prevented him from working out at the combine, and he was not healthy enough to perform at his pro day the following week. Reports suggest that a medical recheck of the shoulder last week in Indianapolis indicate that a second surgery might be needed, further clouding his draft status.
“I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do, but no matter what I do, it doesn’t come out right,” he said.
On the field, he’s a tremendous prospect with instincts, range and hitting ability. Off the field — and in the trainer’s room — there are concerns. Could this top-10 player take a nosedive one week from Thursday night in the first round of the NFL draft? There are enough questions and concerns now where it would not be shocking.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
