Phillips was in prison serving a 31-year-sentence for choking his girlfriend in 2005 in San Diego.
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The decision cleared the way for a trial which could have seen Phillips facing the death penalty if found guilty.
“Officials at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) are investigating the death of inmate Lawrence Phillips as a suspected suicide”, prison authorities said in a statement.
Despite pressure from the national media, Osborne named Phillips to start in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, which pitted No. 1 Nebraska against No. 2 Florida for the national title.
Simas said Phillips was likely taken to that hospital by ambulance since the prison doesn’t have emergency medical transportation.
Phillips had been recently charged with murder and his prospects of ever getting out of prison again seemed slim.
In April of 2015, Phillips’ cellmate, Damion Soward, was found strangled to death in the cell the two shared.
Rams: The St. Louis Rams picked Phillips with the sixth pick despite his flawed character that was predicted to tarnish his draft stock, choosing to side with rare talent over a few controversial incidents. Phillips’ addition to the Rams paved the way for the team to trade future Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis to the Pittsburgh Steelers on draft day. That 1997 season, with 10 appearances with the 49ers and 2 with Miami, was his most productive, tallying a total of 201 carries for 677 yards with 8 touchdowns.
He also played for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes and the Calgary Stampeders early last decade, winning the league’s championship with the Alouettes in 2002. His sentence in that case was added to a separate sentence for driving his auto into three teenagers after a pickup football game.
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After his National Football League career, Phillips continued to have problems with the law.
