Former NFL player Lawrence Phillips was found dead early Wednesday (Jan. 13) morning from an apparent suicide. He was 40 years old.
Phillips, who formally played for the St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins, was incarcerated at the Kern Valley State Prison on various convictions. Prison staff found him in his cell at around 12:05 a.m. during a routine cell check, according to TMZ.
In April, cell mate Damion Soward was found strangled to death, which led to murder charges against Phillips. He reportedly wrote his mother in March stating that he felt that he was “close to snapping.”
“My anger grows daily as I have become fed up with prison,” he wrote last March. “I feel my anger is near bursting and that will result in my death or the death of someone else.”
Still, those who knew him are understandably surprised by the alleged suicide. “It had nothing indicating anything like this,” Phillips’ former coach, Tony Zane told USA Today Sports. “He was talking about the fact that his mom had gotten him an attorney.”
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Photo: NESN screen capture
