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Ex-NFL player died in US jail after cops refused medical care, claims mother

A former NFL player whose death following his arrest for minor offenses has shocked the sport was a victim of brutal police negligence in jail, according to a report which claims a police chief could not explain the tragedy.

Glenn Foster Jr was once a defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints and reportedly died at a Northport medical facility after being arrested in Pickens County, Alabama.

According to his mother, Sabrina, he was allegedly denied medical care, with the cause of his death unknown as the local State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) looks into what has been ruled an “in-custody death”.

Talking to The Daily Beast after it reported the troubling developments on Tuesday, the 31-year-old’s mother, Sabrina, claimed that officials were asked “for him to have medical treatment and they denied him for two days”.

“I told them he has not eaten or [had] water and his organs could shut down, and they didn’t seem concerned,” she alleged.

In a phone interview, Pickens County Sheriff Todd Hall told the outlet that he couldn’t comment while the SBI was investigating, but jail records seen by the report are said to show that Foster was booked in on Saturday morning.

Cops are said to have picked him up on three reckless endangerment charges, as well as resisting arrest and attempting to elude after he was spotted driving a black Jeep at 92mph in a 45mph zone on Friday night, according to Reform Police Chief Richard Black.

Foster then drove on the wrong side of the road and almost hit other cars head on, according to Black, who said that Foster accelerated his speed to “very high rates” when chased by an officer.

In nearby Gordo, spike strips reportedly had to be deployed to stop Foster, who is said to have embarked on a “minor tussle” as officers arrested him.

“There was no pepper spray, no tasers,” Black clarified. “It was not like an all-out fight.”

Black claims that his officers left Pickens County Jail and had no further interactions with Foster.

On Sunday, Black said he spoke to the former player’s family, who he claimed arranged to release their relative on bail.

But he said that once he had planned to get Foster seen at a hospital, things went awry – and Black claimed that “something happened in the jail”.

“I don’t know what, but they told me he could not be released because they had charges,” Black said.

The charges against Foster were reportedly altered to three counts of simple assault and another for third-degree robbery, which Black claims are nothing to do with his speeding, although the report said that he could not add more.

The arresting agency is cited as Pickens County’s Sherrif’s Office, and Tuscaloosa News claim to have seen court records which say that Foster had been accused of being involved in a fight where he tried “to prevent a sheriff’s deputy and correctional officer from performing a lawful duty”.

By Monday afternoon, Black said, he was notified that Foster was dead, with the Pickens County Coroner’s Office declining to comment to the outlet.

Foster played college football at the University of Illinois and was an undrafted free agent when the New Orleans Saints picked him up in 2013.

After two seasons with the 2009 NFL champions, the Chicago native had been working in real estate since retiring in 2016.

Saints player Terron Armstead paid tribute to Foster by saying. “I really can’t find the words to properly express [my grief]. Rest In Peace, Glenn Foster. You’ll be missed, bro.”

Former quarterback Drew Brees said: “My heart goes out to the family and friends of my former teammate Glenn Foster. I’ll always remember his smile and positive nature.”

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UK public must protest over vaccine passports, urges football hero (VIDEO)

An ex-England and Manchester United favorite has encouraged the public to descend on the UK government’s London base to protest against mandatory Covid jabs, vaccine passports and “lies”.

Gary Neville came through the Red Devils’ academy in its famous Class of ’92, and as a rare one-club man won the Premier League eight times and the Champions League twice.

Now a pundit for Sky Sports, he has been outspoken on issues such as the European Super League and, increasingly, the rule of the current Conservative government in the UK. 

Accusing the Prime Minister of “distraction tactics” amid reports that a Christmas party was held at Downing Street during lockdown last year, Neville embarked on a Twitter video rant in which he demanded “vile” Boris Johnson’s resignation and said “enough is enough” of the “mistruths” while the leader was preparing to announce more covid restrictions in response to the omicron variant.

“The reports emerging that Boris Johnson is going to announce a press conference at 5.30pm, the distraction tactic is now a predictable one,” began Neville to his five million followers.

“We’ve seen it for the last two years. This guy lacks integrity. He lies to us constantly. The mistruths that come out of number 10 are just constant.

“Not only that, but he’s the worst kind of leader. Someone who expects his team to go under with him and come out and lie for him. His ministers and his MPs are constantly forced to do that and enough is enough.”

“It’s not even about a party or a social gathering on December 18,” Neville stressed. “Or a secret Santa or a cheese and wine.

“It’s about actually having a guy at the top of our country who believes he can take us all for a ride and laugh at us.

“He does it time after time after time. This cannot be let go. Now is the time to get this guy out of number 10 and start bringing some standards back into politics.”

Before that, Neville had addressed rumors on Johnson’s Plan B protocol containing orders to work from home and carry vaccine passports by telling him to “do one”.

After Johnson did indeed announce the new measures with those instructions, Neville returned to rant mode. 

“He just needed to apologize,” the ex-right back raged. “Instead, he gave us more lies, threw his team under a bus, [introduced] vaccine passports, introduced the potential for mandatory vaccines, resignations and work from home while being able to party away. The walls are closing in and his own MPs will turn very soon.

On Thursday morning, the 46-year-old ran another poll with echoes of his anti-vaccine passport survey in July, which engaged almost 320,000 users with a 60-40 percent split against the plans.

Neville had attempted to gauge the interest of an angry public in protesting on Downing Street “to stand up for truth and integrity in our democracy against the Scoundrel and his disciples”.

“18th December seems the right date. Have no idea how to organise,” he admitted.

Neville’s latest poll has seen close to 75,000 voters nod 90-10 percent in favor of the anti-government action.

Premier League clubs are reportedly set to demand vaccine passports in order for fans to gain access to stadiums.

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Trudeau leading countries ‘clinging to Cold War mentality’, warns Chinese embassy

China has never had a better human rights record and Canada and other countries must stop politicizing sports through an Olympic boycott that could lead to “self-inflicted humiliation”, Chinese ambassadors have warned.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Tuesday that his country would become the latest nation to observe a diplomatic boycott of the Games, which are scheduled to take place in Beijing in February.

Speaking on Parliament Hill, Trudeau accused China of “repeated human rights violations” over its alleged mistreatment of around a million Uyghur Muslims, which is widely thought to include forced labor and sterilization.

Trudeau said he expected the move to be of no surprise to China. “For months, we have been co-ordinating and discussing the issue with our allies,” he added.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly admitted that she had initiated discussions on a boycott in almost every meeting she has held since taking up her role in October.

Joly will press France – which said on Wednesday that it would not follow suit – and Germany to join the boycott, which gained its most powerful participant when the Biden administration announced on Monday that it would be shunning the Games.

“Clearly, it is important for us to send a strong signal to China because we’re extremely concerned about allegations about the Uyghurs,” explained Joly.

“Canada has been playing a leadership role on this — this is in line with our foreign policy. Canada always stands up on questions of human rights.”

The Chinese Embassy in Canada responded by calling Trudeau’s claims false, describing the accusations as “groundless” and voicing its “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to the move.

In a statement, the embassy said it had “lodged stern representations with the Canadian side.”

“Based on ideological biases as well as lies and rumors, Canada and a handful of western countries have been flagrantly engaged in political maneuvering, with the attempt to disrupt the smooth progress of [the] Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” it thundered.

“Their clumsy performance can hardly find any support and is doomed to fail. The Chinese people are in the best position to judge how China’s human situation is.

“Now, China’s human rights situation is at its historical best – a fact that is recognized by all those without bias. Canada, by contrast, has committed heinous crimes against indigenous people.

“Until today, systematic racial discrimination is still severe in Canada. Canada is simply not qualified to be ‘a human rights preacher’ and is certainly in no position to judge China on this front.”

The announcement pointed the finger at Canada for “gravely violating the principle of political neutrality enshrined in the Olympic Charter”.

As was the case when Australian prime minister Scott Morrison confirmed his country’s boycott, the embassy claimed that Canada had not received the kind of invitation that Russian president Vladimir Putin has been given to attend the games.

“Today, in the 21st century, peace, development and win-win co-operation is the trend of the times and the shared aspiration of all countries,” it hypothesized, positioning Canada as being on the “opposite” side of that theory.

“Clinging to Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, Canada and a handful of western countries interfere in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of human rights in an attempt to disrupt and contain their development process.

“This is firmly opposed not only by the Chinese people, but also by all people that love peace and uphold justice in the world.

“Canada must stop politicizing sports, stop disrupting and undermining the Beijing Winter Olympics immediately, lest it should lead to self-inflicted humiliation.”

Trudeau and the embassy do appear to have common ground on wanting the Games to be a success that is focused on sporting excellence.

“We firmly believe that, under the guidance of the Olympic spirit and with concerted efforts of all sides, we will deliver a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic Games for the world,” said the embassy.

Trudeau said that a sporting boycott would not be held. “They need to have one thing in mind,” he said of Canadian athletes heading to the showpiece.

“That’s representing the country to the best of their ability and winning a gold medal for Canada.”

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WATCH: Chelsea’s Russian army masses in St. Petersburg

Chelsea’s legion of Russian fans was out in force in St. Petersburg on Wednesday as supporters enjoyed the rare opportunity to watch their team in the flesh as the London club played Zenit in the Champions League.

Fans traveled from cities far and wide across Russia to see the European champions in action, with some arriving from cities such as Vladivostok in the far east – a journey significantly further than the one Chelsea themselves had made from London.

Before the game, the St. Petersburg Blues supporters club organized a special event at a bar in the city center.

A horde of Blues fans massed to sink pints and enjoy entertainment including a special Chelsea-themed quiz, all while belting out chants in honor of their heroes – with just a hint of a Russian accent.

St. Petersburg Blues member Roman Mitkevich told RT Sport that the visit of Chelsea was long awaited.

“A lot of Chelsea fans are flying in for the match from different Russian cities. It’s the most eagerly anticipated game of recent years,” said Roman.

“There are fans coming from all across Russia, as far as Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. Also from other countries: Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

“It’s a shame that there’s only a small number of fans flying from England, but Covid and omicron can’t be ignored. Everyone’s health is the most important thing.    

“We’ll try to make it so that visually and from the point of view of support, the Chelsea team will feel at home.

“We’ll try to make every Chelsea player hear chants about themselves and the team. Everyone’s welcome in Russia – from Russia with love.”

Among the fans were the Belarus Blues, who were some of the most vocal voices in the bar.

“We’re really excited,” one member said.

“Our support comes from the heart… It’s a fantastic atmosphere, lots of supporters from Kazakhstan, from Belarus, from different parts of Russia are together here. We’ll go to the stadium together.”

Ryan was one of the few Chelsea fans to make the trip from the UK and was joined at a table by a group of fellow Blues from Kazakhstan.

“I had to get an express visa but I’m happy to be here,” said Ryan, from Edinburgh. “I’ve only seen two other Chelsea fans [from the UK] but the support is good everywhere we go from the locals.”

St. Petersburg Blues organizer Roman is adamant that Chelsea are the best-supported foreign team in Russia.

That appeared to be backed up later in the day as several hundred Russians at the Gazprom Arena supported the visitors.

“Chelsea is absolutely the most popular club in Russia (outside of Russian teams),” said Roman.  

“There are strong followings for Liverpool, Manchester United – Manchester City is becoming stronger. But Chelsea in Russia and the former Soviet Union is the leader in terms of the fan base, undoubtedly.

“Of course the influence of Roman Abramovich is huge, a large number of fans began to support Chelsea (in Russia) during his era. But I would perhaps put it differently – he brought attention from the Russian audience to the fact that football could be different, very competitive and beautiful.”

Speaking on Chelsea’s billionaire Russian owner, Yaroslav from Kazakhstan added: “I really want Abramovich to be at the match because it’s his team and his country.”

Abramovich was indeed watching on from the stands at the Gazprom Arena as an under-strength Chelsea and Zenit drew 3-3 after Magomed Ozdoev hit a stunning late equalizer for the hosts.

The result meant Chelsea were forced to settle for second spot in Group H behind Juventus, but for the Blues faithful in Russia and neighboring countries, it was a memorable chance to support their team first-hand.     

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‘Not a surprise’: Pele’s daughters give update from hospital

Legendary striker Pele’s daughters have updated fans and shared photos from hospital after their father was admitted again in Sao Paulo following tumor surgery.

The three-time World Cup winner with Brazil returned to his country’s leading Albert Einstein hospital this week.

In September, he had a tumor removed during a 30-day spell at the institution that treated Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro when he was stabbed on the 2018 campaign trail. 

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by four doctors, the Santos legend is in a stable condition, will continue treatment on the tumor and should be discharged in days.

Pele’s daughters provided updates to his millions of fans worldwide, with Kely Nascimento telling her “insta family” that her social networks were “booming again” while posting a bedside selfie of the legend.

Nascimento added that her sister, Kely, was “petting him there for me”.

“I appreciate all the affection we’ve received from all of you. This photo was taken 10 minutes ago [at the hospital] where my father finished a procedure that had been scheduled for months,” she added.

“In two or three days, he will return home to enjoy Christmas,” Kely revealed, claiming: “This wasn’t a surprise. It was already scheduled and is part of the treatment.”

Flavia uploaded the same snap and wrote: “My people, be calm.

“[This is] the last visit of the year to Einstein, maintaining the treatment with control exams and chemo.

“Thanks to this wonderful team, my father just evolves. Thank you very much for the affection, everyone, but daddy is great.”

Pele is yet to personally address his latest medical developments with his following of more than 7.7 million on Instagram.

The 81-year-old’s most recent post on Instagram was a photo of himself and Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer, who the all-time great played with at New York Cosmos during the late 1970s.

Three weeks ago, Pele posted a photo with a raised fist and said he wanted to let fans know he felt “fine”.

“I feel better every day,” Pele said. “I don’t think even the mask for my protection can hide my happiness. Thank you very much to all of you who send me good energy daily.”