Whatever happened to these 30 forgotten college football superstars?

10. Lawrence Phillips, running back, Nebraska

The story of Lawrence Phillips is a cautionary tale riddled with trauma, abuse, mental illness and violence. Phillips’s tragic suicide narrative is proof that mental illness due to unresolved trauma is real and can have permanent consequences.

Phillips’ issues were so dire that former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil was often reduced to tears talking about his former player. Despite the off-the-field troubles Phillips had off the field, the Rams traded Jerome Bettis and selected Phillips with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft.

Phillps would play for the St. Louis Rams for only two seasons because of his alcohol addiction and other off-the-field issues. After two lackluster seasons in St. Louis, Vermeil and the Rams decided to cut Phillips. Vermeil called Phillips into the team office to demote him to second string due to inconsistent performance and getting into trouble.

Phillips stormed out of the office. After brief stints with Miami, the CFL, AFL and NFL Europe, Phillips was out of football after just six seasons.

Despite his troubles off the field, Lawrence Phillips is perhaps the most naturally gifted running back the Cornhuskers, and Tom Osborne ever had. His 1994 season was one of the best in Husker’s history, leading them to the 1994 National Title on his way to being All-Big Eight.