Lawrence Phillips Suspected of Killing Cellmate

[Chuckinden]

Lawrence Phillips, the sixth-overall pick in the 1996 draft who has been behind bars since 2008, is suspected of killing his cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison, according to a prison news release (via the Bakersfield Californian).
Early Saturday morning, Damion Soward, 37, was found unresponsive in the cell he shared with Phillips. He died Sunday at a local hospital.
Soward was serving 82 years in prison for murder. Phillips, 39, was sentenced in 2008 to 31 years in prison for convictions of inflicting great bodily injury involving domestic violence, spousal abuse, false imprisonment and vehicle theft.
A star at the University of Nebraska, Phillips' off-field troubles plagued him throughout NFL career and beyond. He played in just 25 NFL games with three different teams.
In 1996, the Rams thought so much of his potential, that they traded then-starter Jerome Bettis to the Steelers. Bettis retired in 2005 and was named to the Hall of Fame earlier this year. Phillips last played in the NFL in 1999 and his career totals include 424 carries for 1,453 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Link

 

[kyhusker2]

If you want a different perspective on LP - one that doesn't make excuses, but gives you a better understanding about how someone ends up like that - my friend Damon Benning addressed it on his radio show in Omaha this morning. Damon was a teammate of Phillips' and is still a friend of his.

Starts about 2:30 into the video. Not sure why I can't get the link to work. It's here:


http://cdn.stationcaster.com/stations/kozn/rss/981.rss

April 14, segment 2


This post was edited on 4/14 10:44 AM by kyhusker2
This post was edited on 4/14 10:46 AM by kyhusker2

 

[TeoJ]

Does this really surprise anyone?

 

[weused2luvhim2]

He already had 30 years. I'm pretty sure the world is a better place with this pos right where he is.

 

[ktbug]

The honsrable Tom Osborne allowed him to play in the MNC game, then suggested he go pro. All he did was beat his girlfriend and drag her around by her hair. And people talk about Osbourne's integrity........

 

[domino79]

Prison rules are like that. Maybe he had a smellly celly.

I don't get why we're supposed to feel sorry for the deceased in this story. He was serving time for murder.

 

[kyhusker2]

Originally posted by domino79:
Prison rules are like that. Maybe he had a smellly celly.

I don't get why we're supposed to feel sorry for the deceased in this story. He was serving time for murder.

Also a gangbanger. But I'm not sure he deserved to die. Who knows what happened. If you listen to the link I posted, Phillips was jumped and stabbed by the Mexican mafia. He also much preferred to be in solitary confinement because he didn't get along with people very well. Why would you put a guy like that with a murderer/gangbanger?

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Originally posted by domino79:
Prison rules are like that. Maybe he had a smellly celly.

I don't get why we're supposed to feel sorry for the deceased in this story. He was serving time for murder.

I felt the same way, I saw it as Phillips doing what the state should have done to his roommate to begin with and taxpayers wouldn't have to keep him up all those years. Something happened to him that should have already been taken care of, end of story.

 

[jauk11]

Yes, but he only had about 60 years to go, surely by then he would have been a pillar of society.

Looks like most states have given up on the death penalty, all that did was spend millions on the appeals for years, but then the millions are sorely needed by the lawyers.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Yeah I am sure his lawyers were sadden, will likely represent the family in a wrongful death suit against whoever they can, for a nice commisssion. The ones unlucky enough to grab a seat on that little train will probably join Phillips's crack defense team.

 

[Tskware]

Originally posted by ktbug:
The honsrable Tom Osborne allowed him to play in the MNC game, then suggested he go pro. All he did was beat his girlfriend and drag her around by her hair. And people talk about Osbourne's integrity........

Well . . . didn't Rich Brooks trade about half his team in order to get him? I am pretty sure RB was Phillips NFL coach at the Rams, and made a disastrous trade to get the rights to him. I could be wrong, I often am.

 

[Chad Rock]

Originally posted by Tskware:

Originally posted by ktbug:
The honsrable Tom Osborne allowed him to play in the MNC game, then suggested he go pro. All he did was beat his girlfriend and drag her around by her hair. And people talk about Osbourne's integrity........

Well . . . didn't Rich Brooks trade about half his team in order to get him? I am pretty sure RB was Phillips NFL coach at the Rams, and made a disastrous trade to get the rights to him. I could be wrong, I often am.

Probably the management and owners were responsible for the trade, if anything.

 

[rudd1]

-lovers quarrel

 

[TeoJ]

Originally posted by Tskware:

Originally posted by ktbug:
The honsrable Tom Osborne allowed him to play in the MNC game, then suggested he go pro. All he did was beat his girlfriend and drag her around by her hair. And people talk about Osbourne's integrity........

Well . . . didn't Rich Brooks trade about half his team in order to get him? I am pretty sure RB was Phillips NFL coach at the Rams, and made a disastrous trade to get the rights to him. I could be wrong, I often am.

Really doubt if Rich had anything to do with trade.

 

[ktbug]

Brooks and Bettis didn't get along. The trade to Pittsburgh re-energized Bettis' carreer. Don't know if it was Brooks or the GM, but they(the Rams) did go after Phillips.

This post was edited on 4/15 11:20 AM by ktbug

 

[elwood_blue]

Hopefully Phillips can get other roommates who are in prison for murder.

 

[yoshukai]

Originally posted by ktbug:
Brooks and Bettis didn't get along. The trade to Pittsburgh re-energized Bettis' carreer. Don't know if it was Brooks or the GM, but they(the Rams) did go after Phillips.

This post was edited on 4/15 11:20 AM by ktbug

Not only did they trade Bettis , they also drafted Phillips instead of Heisman winner Eddie George . And Phillips had already been in trouble for dragging his girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her hair at Nebraska. I'd love to hear Brooks account of that decision.

 

[BengalWACO]

SMH.. WTH is wrong with you people and wanting to make Brooks out to be a bad guy in this situation?

 

[yoshukai]

Originally posted by BengalWACO:
SMH.. WTH is wrong with you people and wanting to make Brooks out to be a bad guy in this situation?

Who's making Brooks out to be a bad guy ? Just wondering about the facts ? I hate candyasses that are afraid to know facts because it might change their view. Maybe the GM made the decision. Maybe Brooks would love for someone to ask him that question so he could go on record about how he was forced to coach a player that disgusted him . But let's not take that chance because it might change something in our perfect little bubble. SMH

 

[buckkiller]

I used to be a prison guard and sometime cell availability causes issues etc... Sometimes they have no choice but to get a rack wherever and you can't just pick who you are going to cell with. I responded to a cell fight early one morning during shift change and due to institutional policies and regs you were not allowed to open a cell door no matter what without a supervisor. I ended up watching a 180 lb inmate boot stomp a inmate they called ZUES about 6ft 5in 250+ lbs into a coma and he never came out of it and died like a year later. I was able to get the inmate to stop crushing his head to calm down. At that point he told me quote "he came at me with a shank CO" he kicked the shank out to me then a supervisor showed up we popped the door cuffed him up. Then went to other inmate and he was on the floor snoring with blood coming out of his ears and nose. It was crazy $#!+.