Former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster had easily the strangest experience at the 2017 NFL Combine over the weekend when he was sent home for allegedly getting into a “heated argument with a hospital worker.” Though there have been no confirmed details of the exchange from the league, Foster allegedly pulled the “Do you know who I am?” card.
We’ve heard from Foster twice regarding the incident: once when he posted a live video on Instagram -- though his response was a request for others to “stop asking me what happened” -- and once when he supposedly sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams apologizing for the incident, reportedly calling it “a misunderstanding.”
Now we know what Foster’s college coach, Nick Saban, thinks of it. In short, he defended his former player.
“He’s always been a great team guy and really well-liked by his teammates,” Saban told reporters at Alabama’s pro day. “So if you’re looking for a good teammate to be on your team, Rueben is going to be very, very good. If you’re looking for somebody to be a candy striper and be nice to everybody at the hospital, maybe not.”
Saban prefaced by noting Foster probably wishes he could have handled the situation better, but also noted there may have been some fault on the part of the hospital workers. Either way, Saban didn’t expect Foster’s draft stock to drop. For what it’s worth, Foster is still considered the top inside linebacker and a top-10 prospect overall by CBSSports -- and this was updated as of March 7.
By itself, Hospitalgate (sorry, everyone) isn’t likely to be the type of issue that will affect Foster’s draft stock -- not when there were more pertinent combine stories, like the one involving former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon and his non-invite stemming from the two-year-old video of him punching a woman.
So Foster was reportedly belligerent with a hospital worker. It’s not a great look, but whatever.
However, it is worth noting that Foster apparently didn’t interview well. When you fold the hospital incident into that larger concern, it could be a different story.
Just heard interviews were bad for Foster this week. One scout said it was a bad week for him. https://t.co/4roByvCSlH
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 4, 2017
The short story is Foster didn’t have a good combine. But that’s to be expected when you’re not there for part of it.
