Report: Reuben Foster Failed A Drug Test At Scouting Combine

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting that Alabama linebacker prospect Reuben Foster failed a drug test at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, an event in which he was sent home due to an altercation with a hospital worker. During that altercation it was rumoured he used the most cringe worthy phrase in the world of celebrity "do you know who I am".

It's important to note that the test was a diluted sample, and the NFL automatically takes this as a positive test. Foster (likely on the advice of his agent) went to Rapoport to try and get ahead of the story, he explained the diluted sample as follows:

As for why the test came back dilute, Foster explained in detail. He said he was sick before the combine. He was throwing up, had diarrhea, couldn't keep anything down and was cramping. One adviser offered to have a doctor put him on IVs to hydrate, but he didn't want that. He saw a doctor, got some medication and started hydrating himself.

Foster believes it was food poisoning.

"I couldn't eat much, but I had to drink water and Gatorade," said Foster, who began the process as the consensus top linebacker based on his game tape and measurables. "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."

This explanation is plausible, dehydration would likely cause a diluted sample. Regardless, you can never be sure if his explanation is the truth or a story concocted as damage control by a proactive agency.

His recovery from shoulder surgery was the first issue, with rumours that he may need another. His dismissal from the combine is the second issue, that's just unacceptable. This is the 3rd issue. Teams have already spoken to him about the company he chooses to keep. This is a concern and personally I wouldn't touch him in the 1st round. Would you?