Six Most Fascinating Facts About New Dolphins Running Back Arian Foster

Meet Arian Foster, your newest Miami Dolphin. If you pay any attention whatsoever to football, chances are you're quite familiar with the Dolphins' newly inked four-time Pro Bowl running back. In his seven years with the Houston Texans, Foster rushed for 6,472 yards, 54 scores, and probably won you a fantasy football game at some point.

Foster isn't your average athlete off the field. His interests, causes, beliefs, and personality have made headlines more than a few times in his career. Here are a few of the most interesting off-the-field tidbits about the man Sporting News once called "the most interesting man in the NFL."

6. Foster's “namaste bow” touchdown celebration comes from his love of yoga and meditation. 

Most guys just spike the ball, but Arian Foster isn't most guys. His signature celebration after scores developed out of people telling him he had to do something unique, and it has a much deeper meaning than most touchdown dances. 

“It was after my rookie year, and my brother said, ‘If you start scoring, you need something that’s you,'” Foster explained to WellandGood.com last year. “I feel like the ‘Namaste bow’ best describes not myself, but the message I want to convey to my fans: I recognize the light in you. I want to be appreciative of the game and everyone watching.”

5. Foster is very public about his atheism.

About a year ago, Foster was all over the news after ESPN The Magazine's August 18 College Football Preview Issue detailed his atheism. In the article, Foster went into great detail as to why he doesn't believe in God and how much crap he gets from people who don't understand, or respect, his views.

"I get the devil-worship thing a lot. They'll ask me, 'You worship the devil?'" Foster told ESPN back in August. "'No, bro, I don't believe there's a God, why would I believe there's a devil?' There's a lot of ignorance about nonbelief. I don't mean a negative connotation of ignorance; I just mean a lack of understanding, a lack of knowledge, lack of exposure to people like me."

4. Foster has been heavily involved in film and television during his career.

Many athletes have an interest in Hollywood, but Foster has already achieved more than most accomplish even after retirement. He had a large role in the Kevin Costner movie Draft Day, has appeared in episodes of Hawaii Five-O, and recently narrated a film titled Unity. 

3. At one time, a company named Fantex Brokerage Services offered stock in Foster. 

In 2013, Fantex announced it would pay Foster $10 million for a 20-percent stake in his future income, including contracts, endorsements, and other related business revenue. The firm intended to allow fans to invest in stock related to the performance of his brand. After the announcement of the deal, Foster was injured and barely played that season. Since the deal, many have criticized the entire idea of investing in a player, but others say it's nothing more than higher stakes fantasy sports. 

2. Foster is a part-time poet and philosopher.

Foster was a philosophy major at the University of Tennessee and is an accomplished writer of poetry. Yes, really. In 2015, Foster released a poem titled Where We Dwell that was accompanied by a short film. The poem was about high school sports and has been used as a voiceover for many motivational videos. 

In addition to writing poems, Foster shells out some pretty solid life advice. Back in 2013, he told GQ, "Everyone should smile. Life really isn't that serious. We make it hard. The sun rises. The sun sets. We just tend to complicate the process."



1. After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives, Foster was vegan for part of his NFL career.

During the 2012 season, Foster became a vegan after happening upon the Forks Over Knives documentary, which details the vegan food lifestyle and how it can prevent maladies such as heart disease.

"[Watching the documentary]was the straw that broke the camel’s back," Foster said. "I got in touch with the doctors on that documentary, and they helped me do some research on how I could do it as a professional athlete."

After practicing the lifestyle for seven months, Foster decided he was done with veganism. He went back to eating the foods he grew up with, but in a much more healthful fashion.