The family of former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Glenn Foster Jr., who died while in custody in west Alabama in two years ago, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The federal lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Alabama on behalf of Foster’s wife, alleges that Pickens County sheriff’s deputies and jail staff “excessively assaulted, battered, strangled, and ultimately killed Foster, while denying him access to medical treatment.”

The suit was filed by DiCello Levitt LLP and Ben Crump Law.

Charges include wrongful death, the use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, violation of due process, and governmental liability.

Attorneys called the treatment of Foster “barbaric.”

Foster, 31, was taken into police custody Dec. 4, 2021, after a speeding violation.

He died two days later after being found unresponsive in the back of a police cruiser upon arrival at a medical facility. He had been held in the Pickens County Jail.

Crump obtained an independent autopsy by Dr. Michael Baden, who testified in the O.J. Simpson case, and claims Foster didn’t die from natural causes. Crump in 2021 said the autopsy suggested there was some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation.

Efforts to reach Pickens County sheriff’s officials for comment on the lawsuit were not immediately successful.

Before his death, Foster was known to many in New Orleans for making the Saints in 2013 as an undrafted rookie from the University of Illinois. He rode team-leading tallies in quarterback sacks and QB hits during his first preseason with the Saints to make the squad.

He was hurt through most of the 2014 season before being cut in 2015.

Foster remained in southeast Louisiana following his playing career, establishing himself as a contractor, developer and real estate agent. He started a granite countertop business with retail stores on Magazine Street in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Authorities have said the 31-year-old Foster was pronounced dead at a medical facility in after allegedly leading police in Reform on a high-speed chase that resulted in a crash.

Foster’s parents believe he suffered from a manic episode leading up to, during and after his arrest in Pickens County, Crump has previously said. The ex-Saint’s family told Reform’s police chief of Foster’s “mental health challenges.”

The family was about to bail him out of jail and take him for a mental health evaluation – including having his brain evaluated for CTE, as many other families of former NFL players have elected to do – but authorities told them Foster fought with another inmate and was in the custody of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.

Crump claimed the family was denied a visit with Foster in the county jail and accused the sheriff’s office of delaying Foster’s treatment.

On December 3, 2021, Reform police officers arrested Foster in Gordo for reportedly driving recklessly while on Highway 82. Police requested assistance from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the lawsuit, medics arrived on the scene and told law enforcement officers that Foster needed a mental health and wellness check.

Attorneys claim deputies refused that request and instead took Foster to the Pickens County Jail.

The lawsuit said Reform police Chief Richard Black notified Foster’s family that he was in custody, and the family told Black they had concerns about his mental health and asked that he be transferred to UAB Hospital for an evaluation.

The lawsuit said Black told the family that Foster would be released into medical care as part of his “conditional bond.”

The family scheduled an appointment for Foster at UAB for the following day.

Later that night, the suit states, jail workers called medics to check on Foster. Medics said Foster needed to go immediately to a hospital for medical care, but the lawsuit says he was not transported and remained in lockup.

On Dec. 5, 2021, the family made bond for Foster.

Reform police escorted the family to the county jail to facilitate Foster’s release, but the lawsuit says the family was told he would not be released because he had new charges for trying to steal another inmate’s socks.

Attorneys said Foster was then “tortured” over the next 24 hours, including strapping him to a chair and excessively using a stun gun on him. “Defendants strip Mr. Foster naked and tase him repeatedly,’’ the suit states.

On Dec. 6, 2021, according to the suit, Pickens County Circuit Court Judge Junkin met with Foster in jail and issued an order for Foster to undergo inpatient psychiatric or psychological clinical evaluation. That same day, the Foster family asked the Pickens County Probate Court to declare Foster incompetent and provide him a guardian.

Jail officials arranged to transfer Foster to Northport Medical Center for medical evaluation. He was escorted to the jail’s sally port, shackled with handcuffs and metal chains around his wrists, ankles, and waist.

The lawsuit states that Foster was sitting on the edge of the backseat of the transfer vehicle with his legs hanging outside of the vehicle.

“Mr. Foster stays still and does not move his body further into the transport vehicle,’’ the suit contends. “Defendants push and force Mr. Foster into the vehicle, but his body does not budge.”

One of the deputies then walks around the vehicle and “yanks Mr. Foster from behind, by his neck, into the vehicle.”

Lawyers say Foster’s injuries in that incident contributed to his death, saying a deputy “used a chokehold maneuver to force Mr. Foster into the transport vehicle” and “Mr. Foster never spoke again.”

Foster remained slumped over in the backseat of the vehicle and was pronounced dead upon his arrival at Northport Medical Center.

“Defendants’ excessive and barbaric use of force violated Mr. Foster’s civil rights,’’ the lawsuit states. “Their actions robbed the Foster family of a son, father, and husband.”

Attorneys said the suit seeks to “recover monetary damages to recover for the unspeakable loss Defendant’s caused them and to punish defendants for their actions.”

The family filed a separate lawsuit last year against a New Orleans funeral home, claiming the business “mutilated and unlawfully disposed of” Foster’s remains, including failing to properly embalm and care for Foster’s remains, and destroying his brain without consent or authorization.

The filing comes days after a white female officer from the Reform Police Department was caught on video ordering a Black man to “stand up” after he was handcuffed in the roadway.

The officer was put on leave after the video showed her using stun gun on the handcuffed man circulated on social media.