Parable of the talented

For years, Lawrence Phillips has run from the law just like he ran from defenders as a star running back at Nebraska and in the NFL. Once again, the law caught up, and this time Mr. Phillips may have serious jail time in store.

Trapped inside all the bitterness and anger was an exceptionally talented running back. The St. Louis Rams made Mr. Phillips the No. 6 overall pick in 1996. But since then he's been booted off the Rams, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers rosters. He couldn't make it in the CFL either.

So it seems strangely unsurprising that the former Cornhuskers star would sink so far. A fugitive from San Diego police for nearly a month, the 30-year-old former NFL player for some reason joined a pick-up football game on Aug. 21 with children nearly half his age in a Los Angeles park. On the lam and playing against high-schoolers-surely that must be bottom of the barrel.

Even that would not end well. Mr. Phillips left the Los Angeles park after arguing with teens during the game. Police say he soon returned driving a stolen black Honda sedan. He drove onto the field and ran down three teenagers between ages 16 and 17 with whom he had been playing. All three went to the hospital with injuries, none apparently life-threatening.

He was finally arrested and held without bail for attempted murder, but for another case. Police also sought Mr. Phillips after he allegedly choked his girlfriend until she lost consciousness.

All of this is nothing new. While at Nebraska, Mr. Phillips famously dragged his then-girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her hair and banged her head into a mailbox. Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne cut Mr. Phillips' suspension short, helping to ensure a national championship for Nebraska in Jan. 1996.

In making Mr. Phillips their top pick, the Rams too overlooked the man's character. Three arrests and 23 days of jail time marked his 25-game tenure with the Rams. St. Louis finally cut Mr. Phillips for insubordination. Then the Dolphins took a shot at him, but the team released him after he pleaded no contest to hitting a woman in a bar. The 49ers signed him, then cut him after he skipped a practice.

Through it all, Mr. Phillips has represented the siren song of the talented but troubled athlete. Enamored by 40-yard-dash times and juke moves, general managers can lose sight of the warts. Sometimes teams have to remember the talent can be worthless if the packaging is damaged.

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