Top LB prospect Foster reveals failed drug test at combine

Former Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, widely expected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, revealed to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on Thursday that he failed a drug test at the scouting combine due to a diluted sample.

"This is something that's going to get out. I don't make excuses. I'm a real dude. I try to be a good person. ... I just hope the coaches understand and that's all I can hope and pray for," Foster said.

Foster was informed in March that the urine sample he provided during the combine was diluted.

The 23-year-old explained that he fell ill during the combine, threw up several times, had diarrhea, and avoided taking IVs to hydrate.

"I couldn't eat much, but I had to drink water and Gatorade," Foster said. "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 drew scrutiny for being dismissed from the combine after a confrontation with a hospital worker. The linebacker reportedly grew irate waiting to see a doctor and wrote a letter apologizing to NFL teams for the incident.

Considered by many to be the premier inside linebacker in this year's draft class, it'll be interesting to see whether Foster descends down the board as a result of the failed test.