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Ex-Nebraska RB Lawrence Phillips under investigation for murdering cellmate

By Patrick Schmidt

Jan 1, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; A Nebraska Cornhuskers helmet sits on the field before the start of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field . Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; A Nebraska Cornhuskers helmet sits on the field before the start of their game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field . Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Lawrence Phillips is under investigation for murdering his cellmate in prison.

Lawrence Phillips was sentenced to 31 years in a California prison in 2009 after he was convicted of attacking his then-girlfriend and driving his car into a pack of three teenagers after a pickup football game.

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That was supposed to be the last time we’d hear about the former All-Big 8 selection and former first round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, but in another sad turn of events for the one-time Nebraska Cornhuskers legend who is under investigation for murdering his cell mate on Saturday.

According to Jason Galvin of KGET, Phillips is the suspect in the death of his cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison, Damion Soward, 37, who was serving time for first-degree murder.

Phillips won two national championships at Nebraska and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 after rushing for 1,722 yards, the third highest total in the NCAA that year, and 16 touchdowns.

He was the No. 6 pick in the draft by the Rams who overlooked many off-the-field concerns with Phillips, including pleading guilty to assault and vandalism charges, failing to complete his pretrial diversion program and was arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Kate McEwen, who played basketball at Nebraska.

Phillips was released 10 games into his second season with the Rams after he showed marked improvement from his 632 yards four touchdowns in 15 games (11 starts) in his rookie year and was on pace for a 1,000-yard season but Dick Vermeil and Rams management let him go, admitting they made a colossal mistake in drafting him.

Compounding the error by the Rams to draft Phillips was the trade that sent Jerome Bettis to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick. Bettis would go on to have a Hall of Fame career and rush for more than 10,000 career yards and Phillips spent 23 years in jail during his brief stint with the Rams.

Now, Phillips is under investigation for murdering his cell mate and spending the rest of his life behind bars.

When people cite wasted talent, Lawrence Phillips is the definition of that, because he could have been a Hall of Famer just like Bettis, but his series of poor decisions and legal trouble made that impossible.

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