Ex-NFL Star Lawrence Phillips Suspected of Killing Cellmate

When it comes to sports there’s nothing greater than watching a truly talented athlete ascend to fame, but there’s also nothing sadder than watching them fall. Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips is already well known for his swift descent from stardom, but according to officials he may have reached an all new low. The 39-year-old Cornhusker great is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central California prison, officials said Monday.

Remember former NFL player Lawrence Phillips? He’s suspected of murdering his cellmate: http://t.co/PmhGdYmaWy pic.twitter.com/83ircfRqL2

— Complex Sports (@Complex_Sports) April 14, 2015

According to USA Today, Kern Valley State Prison’s spokesman, Lieutenant Marshall Denning, said in a statement that Phillips’ cellmate Damion Soward, 37, was found lifeless in his cell early Saturday and pronounced dead. Soward was serving 82-to-life for a first degree murder charge.

In case you’ve forgotten, Phillips, 39, isn’t a particularly standup guy. In the 90s he was one of the nation’s top college football players at Nebraska before taking his talents professionally to the St. Louis Rams as a first round draft pick. But, his aggressive behavior off the field quickly led to his demise. According to Deadspin:

He was arrested three times before being released by the Rams, he was released by the Dolphins after he assaulted a woman in a nightclub, and he was charged with sexual assault while playing in the CFL. Most prominently, he was arrested in 1995 while still at Nebraska for dragging his girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her hair. Somehow, then-Nebraska head coach Tom Osbourne didn’t deem it an offense bad enough to kick Phillips off the team.

Phillips is currently serving a sentence of more than 31 years at the California prison stemming from two separate convictions that he’s serving consecutively. Those convictions resulted from domestic assault on his former girlfriend in 2005 whom he choked on two separate occasions, as well as for an incident later that year where he drove a stolen car onto a field and hit three teenagers after an argument during a pickup football game.

According to USA Today, prison officials said they suspect a second inmate at the prison of killing his cellmate as well, but it’s unclear if the two incidents are related. Prison officials also said that they are currently investigating both deaths along with the Kern County Coroner and the Kern County District Attorney.

As for Phillips, it’s not looking too good for the man who once had it all. If investigators find enough evidence to indict him again he could face possibly spending the rest of his life behind bars.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.