moka.the
10-04-2008, 12:41 AM
Friday, October 3, 2008
(10-03) 15:27 PDT Los Angeles, CA (AP) --
Former pro football player Lawrence Phillips was sentenced Friday to
10 years in prison after being convicted two years ago of assault with
a deadly weapon.
The sentencing had been repeatedly delayed while Phillips fought to
withdraw a guilty plea in a domestic abuse case.
Phillips, 33, was convicted in 2006 of seven counts of assault with a
deadly weapon.
He has been jailed since August 2005, when he drove onto a field near
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and his car struck three boys, ages 14
and 15, and a 19-year-old man, who suffered cuts and bruises.
The car narrowly missed three other people, prosecutor Todd Hicks
said.
Phillips, a running back, was allegedly upset after losing a pickup
football game to the youths and accused them of stealing some of his
possessions.
"When he gets angry and he feels disrespected, he acts out with blind
rage," Hicks said in a telephone interview after the sentencing.
In court, Phillips tearfully apologized to one of the victims.
"I'm sorry that your leg is messed up," Phillips told Rodney Flores,
after hearing the young man tell the court that he was unable to
pursue his dream of playing high school sports as a result of being
hit.
"I'm sorry you have to come in here like this," Phillips said, adding
that he "wanted the chance to say I didn't mean to hurt people."
Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli said Phillips should have
thought about what he did.
A call to Phillips' attorney Leslie Ringold was not immediately
returned.
Phillips was once one of the nation's top college football players at
Nebraska. The St. Louis Rams released him for insubordination in 1997
and he went on to play for a number of teams.
Sentencing was delayed while Phillips tried to withdraw a 2000 guilty
plea to hitting a woman he had been dating during a confrontation at
the Beverly Hills Hotel, the prosecutor said.
The plea stands as a strike against Phillips under California's "three-
strikes" law, which mandates tougher sentences for repeat offenders.
Phillips contended he was coerced into pleading guilty to domestic
abuse and making a criminal threat, resulting in a brief prison term
and three years probation.
His attempts to withdraw the plea are continuing, Hicks said.
Phillips has a history of trouble with the law, going back a decade to
his time as one of the nation's top college football players.
He signed with the Miami Dolphins after being released by the Rams but
was later released. Phillips was the top offensive player in NFL
Europe in 1999 after setting league records for rushing and touchdowns
with the Barcelona Dragons.
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers later that year, but was
released for missing a practice. He also has played in the Canadian
Football League.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/03/state/n131236D33.DTL
(10-03) 15:27 PDT Los Angeles, CA (AP) --
Former pro football player Lawrence Phillips was sentenced Friday to
10 years in prison after being convicted two years ago of assault with
a deadly weapon.
The sentencing had been repeatedly delayed while Phillips fought to
withdraw a guilty plea in a domestic abuse case.
Phillips, 33, was convicted in 2006 of seven counts of assault with a
deadly weapon.
He has been jailed since August 2005, when he drove onto a field near
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and his car struck three boys, ages 14
and 15, and a 19-year-old man, who suffered cuts and bruises.
The car narrowly missed three other people, prosecutor Todd Hicks
said.
Phillips, a running back, was allegedly upset after losing a pickup
football game to the youths and accused them of stealing some of his
possessions.
"When he gets angry and he feels disrespected, he acts out with blind
rage," Hicks said in a telephone interview after the sentencing.
In court, Phillips tearfully apologized to one of the victims.
"I'm sorry that your leg is messed up," Phillips told Rodney Flores,
after hearing the young man tell the court that he was unable to
pursue his dream of playing high school sports as a result of being
hit.
"I'm sorry you have to come in here like this," Phillips said, adding
that he "wanted the chance to say I didn't mean to hurt people."
Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli said Phillips should have
thought about what he did.
A call to Phillips' attorney Leslie Ringold was not immediately
returned.
Phillips was once one of the nation's top college football players at
Nebraska. The St. Louis Rams released him for insubordination in 1997
and he went on to play for a number of teams.
Sentencing was delayed while Phillips tried to withdraw a 2000 guilty
plea to hitting a woman he had been dating during a confrontation at
the Beverly Hills Hotel, the prosecutor said.
The plea stands as a strike against Phillips under California's "three-
strikes" law, which mandates tougher sentences for repeat offenders.
Phillips contended he was coerced into pleading guilty to domestic
abuse and making a criminal threat, resulting in a brief prison term
and three years probation.
His attempts to withdraw the plea are continuing, Hicks said.
Phillips has a history of trouble with the law, going back a decade to
his time as one of the nation's top college football players.
He signed with the Miami Dolphins after being released by the Rams but
was later released. Phillips was the top offensive player in NFL
Europe in 1999 after setting league records for rushing and touchdowns
with the Barcelona Dragons.
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers later that year, but was
released for missing a practice. He also has played in the Canadian
Football League.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/03/state/n131236D33.DTL