Nothing seems to be going right for Reuben Foster in the pre-draft process.
The former Alabama linebacker informed NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that he failed a drug test at the combine. Rapoport reported the story on Thursday, and got Foster’s side of things. Foster’s test came back as positive because it was flagged as a diluted sample, which counts as a failed test.
Foster is adamant that he is clean and has a good explanation for why the sample was diluted.
Rapoport says Foster told him he was sick before the NFL Combine and was throwing up, had diarrhea and cramping, so a doctor suggested using an IV to hydrate. Foster, who believes he was ill due to food poisoning, began hydrating himself.
“I couldn’t eat much, but I had to drink water and Gatorade,” Foster told Rapoport. “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 knows he will open up his NFL career in their drug testing program, which will subject him to rigorous testing. But he says bring it on because he is clean.
The former Bama linebacker has taken many hits to his reputation throughout this pre-draft process. In addition to the failed test, there have been questions about Foster’s shoulder which he had surgery on. He also sent an apology letter to teams following a separate incident at the Combine (details here).
Foster has been projected as a potential top-10 pick.
