Lawrence Phillips was once a star running back at Nebraska, who was drafted sixth overall in 1996. After that, everything fell apart for him. If you know Phillips by name now, you probably know him more for those legal troubles than for anything he did on the football field.
He’s currently serving more than 30 years in California’s Kern Valley State Prison for two separate assault charges. And now, yet another violent incident has brought him back into the news. According to Fox Sports, Phillips has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of his cellmate, Damion Soward, who was strangled to death in his cell.
Phillips is expected back in court on Sept. 15, and if convicted, would serve a minimum of 25 years on top of the 31 he still owes the state of California. With Phillips’ history (his previous convictions were for driving a car into three teenagers and choking a former girlfriend to the point of unconsciousness), he’s unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt in any criminal proceedings, or the court of public opinion.
(Via Fox Sports)
