Running for his Life--LP Documentary

[rchrisreade]

Debuts tonight. What fabulous memories he made at the time that now feel so sad in relation to him.

http://nesn.com/2016/12/running-for...y-documentary-to-premiere-on-showtime-friday/

 

[newAD]

On Showtime? Wish I had it. They were talking about it on the end of Sharpe and Benning this morning. Wish I had ST.

 

[redwine65]

not sure if many folks know this will be on tonight

http://www.sho.com/titles/3440440/r...e-lawrence-phillips-story?s_cid=pse-docs-3680

 

[resdog851]

I just watched it and I thought it was pretty well done. Warts and all, I think Nebraska still came off looking good. LP is like a Greek tragedy. Dude had it all and still had his demons. He is a case study on nature verses nurture. He was both, and in this case nurture I believe won out in the end. Nurture being how he was hardwired very young in life.

 

[Captain Nick]

Just got done watching the Showtime documentary on Phillips (think I'm going to give it an immediate second watch) but these are my immediate thoughts.

1. For nearly fifteen years now I have worked in the field of Social Services and Mental Health. I have seen and worked closely with more kids than I can count who have come from physically, verbally and emotionally abusive homes. There are so many of these kids whose parents just want nothing to do with them and are 100% absent from their lives. The long term damage and sense of abandonment this has on a person's life is immeasurable. I'm not saying this to make any excuses or white wash any of Phillips's actions, nor do I have any secret fixes to this problem. But this is a problem in our society that needs to be acknowledged.

2. While there isn't a whole lot of information in this documentary that is new to me I do hope that everyone across the country who has ever spouted off an opinion on LP or Nebraska or Tom Osbourne takes the time to watch it. I know that it is very easy for people to just label LP a thug athlete who deserved to rot in jail (and I'm not arguing he didn't) but it is a far more complicated story than simply that. I know as sports fans (and just consumers in general) it's easy to try to make things black and white and as easily digestible as possible. We're all guilty of worrying about coming up with an opinion and response on any given subject rather than simply listening and understanding. I hope, at the very least this doc gives some a reason to pause and think a little more deeply about this troubled soul than they had previously.

3. Nebraska, and especially Tom Osbourne come off very well in this movie. One can certainly argue if Tom Osbourne did the right thing with LP back in 1995 (and I will still argue that he did). But I don't know how anyone, after watching this can argue that his heart and his intentions weren't always in the right place.

4. I know Nebraska and Armen Keteyian have a history and his involvement in this documentary is the sole reason many former teammates of LP wanted nothing to do with it. I'm sure many of us old timers can remember he was very rough on Nebraska back in the 80's and 90's. But this is not a hit piece. He has so much as said in recent interviews that he has a whole new perspective on Osbourne and his handling of the situation and probably owes him an apology for the things he had previously said. And I will at least give him credit for that.

Again, check it out if you can.

 

[Captain Nick]

Also, if you don't have Showtime (which I don't) you can do a 7 day free trial on Showtime on Demand and watch it there. Just remember to cancel before the 7 days are up.

 

[HuskerBlueDevil]

Keteyian wrote a hit piece book called "Big Red Confidential" that was basically nothing but a pack of lies. I remember looking at the blurb on the inside leaf and knowing from the first sentence what it was, as it talked about the NU athletic department owning several corporate jets that were used for nothing but flying coaches and recruits around the country. However, to give Keteyian credit I did hear him admit on the radio that he made a serious mistake in his research methodology for the book. He did virtually no research himself, but paid kids to do the research. And he had bonuses for kids who turned up dirt. So naturally if they couldn't turn up any dirt honestly, they made it up. For example, Nate Mason was quoted in the book as saying that Turner Gill and Mike Rozier were heavy coke users. In a 6 part piece in the LJS Mason stated that he refused to even talk to any of Keteyian's kids when they banged on his door and the only mention of coke was when one of Keteyian's kids offered Mason some coke for dirt on other players. Mason said he threw the kid down 2 flights of stairs. Having played countless pick-up basketball games with Mason I can totally see that. In any event, it sounded like Keteyian learned his lesson about his research style. Still, I would be somewhat leery of anything he was involved in, whether it was about NU or any other school.

 

[redwine65]

I didn't know phillips had that much trouble with women. I knew the kate thing was bad, but I don't remember much reporting on it after that. and I figured the pick-up game was with people phillips knew in the hood. not just random strangers who looked a lot less built then lp. I got the hard copy of big red confidential after it came out. but it was nothing compared to the mid 90's. I wonder if LP ever heard the Gospel? cause it seemed he put too much trust in people and vice versa.

 

[kaz36]

Just got done watching the Showtime documentary on Phillips (think I'm going to give it an immediate second watch) but these are my immediate thoughts.

1. For nearly fifteen years now I have worked in the field of Social Services and Mental Health. I have seen and worked closely with more kids than I can count who have come from physically, verbally and emotionally abusive homes. There are so many of these kids whose parents just want nothing to do with them and are 100% absent from their lives. The long term damage and sense of abandonment this has on a person's life is immeasurable. I'm not saying this to make any excuses or white wash any of Phillips's actions, nor do I have any secret fixes to this problem. But this is a problem in our society that needs to be acknowledged.

2. While there isn't a whole lot of information in this documentary that is new to me I do hope that everyone across the country who has ever spouted off an opinion on LP or Nebraska or Tom Osbourne takes the time to watch it. I know that it is very easy for people to just label LP a thug athlete who deserved to rot in jail (and I'm not arguing he didn't) but it is a far more complicated story than simply that. I know as sports fans (and just consumers in general) it's easy to try to make things black and white and as easily digestible as possible. We're all guilty of worrying about coming up with an opinion and response on any given subject rather than simply listening and understanding. I hope, at the very least this doc gives some a reason to pause and think a little more deeply about this troubled soul than they had previously.

3. Nebraska, and especially Tom Osbourne come off very well in this movie. One can certainly argue if Tom Osbourne did the right thing with LP back in 1995 (and I will still argue that he did). But I don't know how anyone, after watching this can argue that his heart and his intentions weren't always in the right place.

4. I know Nebraska and Armen Keteyian have a history and his involvement in this documentary is the sole reason many former teammates of LP wanted nothing to do with it. I'm sure many of us old timers can remember he was very rough on Nebraska back in the 80's and 90's. But this is not a hit piece. He has so much as said in recent interviews that he has a whole new perspective on Osbourne and his handling of the situation and probably owes him an apology for the things he had previously said. And I will at least give him credit for that.

Again, check it out if you can.

I'm shocked you haven't taken a beating for this.

 

[Rick.Flare]

Then one common mom demonator in nearly every one of the assaults that LP had was that he was drinking. I think he self medicated with alcohol and it had devastating effects. It was mentioned but I feel was the crux of his problems.

 

[saluno22]

I'm shocked you haven't taken a beating for this.

I think most people haven't seen the documentary yet to be honest. I haven't, but I appreciate the thought and depth Captain Nick put into his post.

 

[Redblood23]

Pretty depressing. What a troubled soul and a sad ending for everyone who surrounded LP..

 

[ExxHusker]

Lawerence had something magnetic. I really wanted him to have a great life after he pulled himself up from a tough childhood. I hurt for him because the good that was in him and the efforts he did make were destroyed by moments of insanity.

I'll never forget his magic though. The guy was not just gifted he was a true warrior.

 

[barney44]

I like how that female prosecutor talking about Phillips killing his cellmate said it was a ridiculous claim by Phillips to say he killed his cellmate by accident (or something to that effect) because none of the other prisoner's said anything. I don't recall it word for word here but for some reason she made it sound like the good Samaritan's in the other cells were supposed to come forward and spill the beans on what happened. It's ridiculous to think that you'll get the correct answer in a building full of criminals, and this in the courtroom?

 

[cornheader]

I like how that female prosecutor talking about Phillips killing his cellmate said it was a ridiculous claim by Phillips to say he killed his cellmate by accident (or something to that effect) because none of the other prisoner's said anything. I don't recall it word for word here but for some reason she made it sound like the good Samaritan's in the other cells were supposed to come forward and spill the beans on what happened. It's ridiculous to think that you'll get the correct answer in a building full of criminals, and this in the courtroom?

You're confused...she was saying the conspiracy surrounding Phillips' suicide, that it has been suggested that it was murder, by the prison staff, is preposterous...which it is. Inmates would talk on a guard 100x's out of 100 if they had legitimate info.

 

[redwine65]

You're confused...she was saying the conspiracy surrounding Phillips' suicide, that it has been suggested that it was murder, by the prison staff, is preposterous...which it is. Inmates would talk on a guard 100x's out of 100 if they had legitimate info.

the thing that I wondered about is, they said LP thru the knife the guy attacked him with in the toilet. so he didn't look like a snitch....well did they look in the plumbing for the knife?
it's kinda important to a self defense case, instead of a murder case.

 

[barney44]

You're confused...she was saying the conspiracy surrounding Phillips' suicide, that it has been suggested that it was murder, by the prison staff, is preposterous...which it is. Inmates would talk on a guard 100x's out of 100 if they had legitimate info.

No, this is when she was talking about his side of the story as to why his cellmate was dead.

 

[StrongArm517]

Then one common mom demonator in nearly every one of the assaults that LP had was that he was drinking. I think he self medicated with alcohol and it had devastating effects. It was mentioned but I feel was the crux of his problems.

Agree with this and the question I have is did he ever go to Alcolhol treatment? When Dick Vermeil fired him did he consider a twelve step program for someone who was drunk at work? This didn't make any sense to me.

 

[northeastNebraska]

I know this sounds very strange. But I still wonder if LP had committed the crimes committed in Nebraska instead of California and he happened to be in the prison system in Lincoln/Omaha if things would have been a little different for him? Not condoning anything he did, but have to think if he had friends, former teammates/coaches visiting, he would still be here.

 

[anon_41ic26spm9w6q]

My wife used to work in a youth home where they provided mental health treatment for kids. She said most of them have such a terrible childhood that it makes sense they're so troubled.

We watched this documentary together and at one point she commented that she was starting to think it wasn't one of those documentaries with a happy ending. That's when I realized she didn't know anything about LP. By the end of it she was in tears.

 

[GBRhuskers]

Looked to me LP was a smooth talker and fooled a lot of people. Dude got way too many fourth chances.

 

[otismotis08]

It was a good show. Was hoping to see more footage/interviews from other ex-Huskers. Ray Lewis made some cool comments.

 

[resdog851]

My wife used to work in a youth home where they provided mental health treatment for kids. She said most of them have such a terrible childhood that it makes sense they're so troubled.

We watched this documentary together and at one point she commented that she was starting to think it wasn't one of those documentaries with a happy ending. That's when I realized she didn't know anything about LP. By the end of it she was in tears.

This. Anyone that deals with really messed up youths know the difficulty in fixing them after the fact. If you hardwire a kid when they are real young with some really messed up stuff, they will do weird messed up stuff the rest of their life. They are not a lost cause, but it really takes a ton of hard work from those that really care, and a ton of hard work from the kid themselves to change that bad behavior. It is truly a hail mary in a lot of cases. The term born loser is often used in cases like this, and it is not an accident. In many cases, they really have no chance. We really live in a messed up world.

 

[cornheader]

No, this is when she was talking about his side of the story as to why his cellmate was dead.

Wrong. Watch it again.