Lawrence Phillips, a 40-year-old ex-NFL running back who was doing time in prison – and facing murder charges for the death of his cellmate – was found dead today as he awaited trial for the killing of Damion Soward.
Phillips’ death is being investigated as a suicide, although he had cautioned in letters to his former high school coach recently that he feared inmates in the prison wanted to kill him. Phillips wrote frequently to his ex-coach Tony Zane, and seemed to be coming unraveled.
Lawrence Phillips Claims He Killed Cellmate In Self Defense
"I feel myself very close to snapping,'' Phillips wrote in March 2015. "My anger grows daily as I have become fed up with prison. I feel my anger is near bursting and that will result in my death or the death of someone else.''
Still, Zane said he never felt that Phillips displayed anything resembling suicidal thoughts. "It had nothing indicating anything like this,'' Zane told USA TODAY Sports referencing a letter he received a month ago. "He was talking about the fact that his mom had gotten him an attorney.''
Phillips had been deeply troubled even before arriving in the NFL. He generated controversy by starting in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl even though he was charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend. He was drafted sixth overall in 1996 by the St. Louis Rams, lasting just two years because of behavioral issues.
He moved on to the Dolphins in 1998, but was let go when he was accused of assaulting a woman in a nightclub. He spent a year in NFL Europe before coming back with the 49ers, and promptly being let go because he clashed with coaches. Phillips finished his career with 1,453 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons.
In 2009 Phillips was sentenced to 31 years in prison for two incidents, driving his car into three teenagers, and assaulting another woman.
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