Showtime Lawrence Phillips Documentary

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

Just opening up a thread to discuss it as the reviews from those who have had early access have been good.

Friday the 16th at 9 PM ET.

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[HuskerFan2002]

I want to see this as well but don't have Showtime.

 

[Doc Holiday]

I never knew Lawrence like Doc did he and L.P. were friends both on and away from the team.
I do know from listening to Doc tell me when we were dating and then after we were married that Lawrence had some anger issues he needed to get worked out.
One of the few times we did things as a group with Lawrence he was very nice to be around....quiet but nice and very protective of his friends ....you could tell though he was trying to fit in and you just got the sense that the only place he was comfortable was when he was playing football, then he could truly be himself and be at ease and at peace....I will never forget the look on his face after scoring one particular touchdown where he ran over and through some guys and raced 50yards after that untouched to the end zone....he came past us girls on the side line carrying his helmet and was grinning from ear to ear and not even winded in the least....he looked at me and winked and said as he past us...."they don't have nutthin for us today"....right then I knew there was nothing to worry about....as long as he had an ounce of fight in him Nebraska could beat anyone in the country.
I doubt there will ever be another like him on the Football Field.

Rest in Peace Lawrence.....

Big Nosed Kate.

 

[Puddles]

Would anyone be willing to share a link to an online stream for us serfs who do not have Showtime?

 

[redfred]

I never knew Lawrence like Doc did he and L.P. were friends both on and away from the team.
I do know from listening to Doc tell me when we were dating and then after we were married that Lawrence had some anger issues he needed to get worked out.
One of the few times we did things as a group with Lawrence he was very nice to be around....quiet but nice and very protective of his friends ....you could tell though he was trying to fit in and you just got the sense that the only place he was comfortable was when he was playing football, then he could truly be himself and be at ease and at peace....I will never forget the look on his face after scoring one particular touchdown where he ran over and through some guys and raced 50yards after that untouched to the end zone....he came past us girls on the side line carrying his helmet and was grinning from ear to ear and not even winded in the least....he looked at me and winked and said as he past us...."they don't have nutthin for us today"....right then I knew there was nothing to worry about....as long as he had an ounce of fight in him Nebraska could beat anyone in the country.
I doubt there will ever be another like him on the Football Field.

Rest in Peace Lawrence.....

Big Nosed Kate.

Tthanks for the info, but stories like this make me all the sadder.

 

[Doc Holiday]

Tthanks for the info, but stories like this make me all the sadder.

Oh I am very sorry, my intention was to try and show that Lawrence was way more than some of the general perception of him as a "Thug"....when honestly that whole group of young guys at the time were thought of as thugs.....by the outside world and all sorts of media's perception only served to drive them closer together than they already were and with every negative piece of press they got only made them stronger and more determined....please try to remember Un like your average fan.....I lived with that every day and night and still do today .....if you think living with Doc is easy......oh contraire ....lol he gets all worked up even today just like he did for games clear back then !
Anyhow before I stray off topic I am sorry if my sentiments hurt anyone....the whole story of Lawrence is almost like a movie script that should serve today as a message to young men in his shoes.....No matter how much we try all of those who called him Brother still feel responsible for letting things get so far out of hand and not doing something to help Lawrence....so not to belittle anyone else's feelings but imagine for even just a split second how we feel.....
Our only salvation now is that Lawrence is now running on God's team.....and he is free of whatever demons that haunted him.

Kate and Doc.

 

[redfred]

Oh I am very sorry, my intention was to try and show that Lawrence was way more than some of the general perception of him as a "Thug"....when honestly that whole group of young guys at the time were thought of as thugs.....by the outside world and all sorts of media's perception only served to drive them closer together than they already were and with every negative piece of press they got only made them stronger and more determined....please try to remember Un like your average fan.....I lived with that every day and night and still do today .....if you think living with Doc is easy......oh contraire ....lol he gets all worked up even today just like he did for games clear back then !
Anyhow before I stray off topic I am sorry if my sentiments hurt anyone....the whole story of Lawrence is almost like a movie script that should serve today as a message to young men in his shoes.....No matter how much we try all of those who called him Brother still feel responsible for letting things get so far out of hand and not doing something to help Lawrence....so not to belittle anyone else's feelings but imagine for even just a split second how we feel.....
Our only salvation now is that Lawrence is now running on God's team.....and he is free of whatever demons that haunted him.

Kate and Doc.

Mission accomplished.

 

[Chris]

Would anyone be willing to share a link to an online stream for us serfs who do not have Showtime?

A reminder:

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[Puddles]

A reminder:

 

[Dunbar]

I watched it and overall I think it was done well; for Huskers fans probably not a lot of new information, although I did not know that Osborne had threatened to kick LP off of the team if he wouldn't leave McEwen alone - and this was BEFORE that fateful night. That, and the prosecutor who argued that he murdered his cellmate, stating that there was no way that he was murdered. If you go by just the documentary, there seems to be enough 'reasonable doubt' to look into it. That part irritated me; like she's SO certain he wasn't murdered yet they mentioned the 'joke' found in his belongings...

Overall it does get across that LP had a rough upbringing, but I don't think it excuses his behavior. Plus it does illustrate that he had multiple opportunities to turn himself around. A sombering watch, to be sure.

 

[Puddles]

I watched it and overall I think it was done well; for Huskers fans probably not a lot of new information, although I did not know that Osborne had threatened to kick LP off of the team if he wouldn't leave McEwen alone - and this was BEFORE that fateful night. That, and the prosecutor who argued that he murdered his cellmate, stating that there was no way that he was murdered. If you go by just the documentary, there seems to be enough 'reasonable doubt' to look into it. That part irritated me; like she's SO certain he wasn't murdered yet they mentioned the 'joke' found in his belongings...

Overall it does get across that LP had a rough upbringing, but I don't think it excuses his behavior. Plus it does illustrate that he had multiple opportunities to turn himself around. A sombering watch, to be sure.

She bothered me. She was so certain that a convicted murderer who happened to be a gang member posed no threat to LP, and LP just lashed out... after watching the doc, I don't buy that for a second.

I am curious as to the results of the brain scan and whether or not CTE played any kind of role in Lawrence's life. One could easily presume how LP's anger issues were could have been amplified from brain damage. The part where his ex girlfriend said that he choked her to unconsciousness and when she woke up he was sad and just wanted to lay in bed with her was a pretty powerful and telling moment.

Hopefully people learn from this doc. Not just about the perspective and story of LP, but about getting people help. Joe Mixon from OU comes to mind.

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

Overall I thought it was pretty good although for me it didn't live up to what I was hearing about it. I think part of the problem is that the people they were able to get for interviews during the time period when LP was at NU were lacking IMO. I get why Scott Frost etc., wouldn't want to talk about what happened but there were others who knew LP who boycotted it because Armen Keteyian produced it. I also agree they didn't tell both sides of the story about his last days in prison.

 

[Doc Holiday]

Doc and to a much lesser degree myself, were contacted by the Assoc. Producer of the documentary about it but, since we had already been informed by some other teammates whom they contacted first, we chose to stay out and join the rest who decided not to talk.
I will tell you our reasons are that the light shed on that team and those Coaches has taught us to not trust anyone in the media, simply because they would swear up and down the story they were going to do would only cast a very positive image of what those men accomplished both on and off the field....Which of course ALWAYS turned out to be bald faced lies just so they might find some dirt that got swept under the University Rug.
I think the mere fact that there was or is nothing to find and Coach Osborne was and is that good of a person, only angered them and made them look harder and when there still wasn't enough of a story it just drove them nuts.
Truth be told I think they just can not come to grips with what those classes of players did for 5 years they were thee dominate team in all of college football and still today are considered the Greatest Team In History.

Kate.

 

[Puddles]

Found this article from 1996 and noticed this bit

"In his recently released book, "On Solid Ground," Husker head coach Tom Osborne wrote that Frost and Phillips' victim (whom he does not name) "were more than acquaintances," and that Osborne had warned Frost before the incident not to get involved with her."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/..._scott-frost-tommie-frazier-lawrence-phillips

I find it intriguing that TO warned both players to stay away from this girl.

Also, this was kind of interesting to me

"Asked if the incident made his new teammates view him differently, Frost said, "I don't really think it did. Guys didn't look at me as having anything to do with it.""

Yeah, I find that hard to believe. Obviously I wouldn't expect Frost to say "Yup, half the locker room f#ckin' hates me." But you can't tell me that there wasn't a faction of guys that hated Frost.

 

[howielong]

The one thing that I've always been curious about is who told LP that McKewen was at Frost's apartment. Somebody had to tell him because he wouldn't have known otherwise and it was reported that someone did inform him. If he isn't given that info that incident doesn't happen. (But maybe something worse would've happened later.)

 

[redfred]

I still find this story a tragedy in the real sense......not the theatrical one. I've always understood theatrical tragedy's to have a cathartic effect on observers. I've only sensed pain from this story. All the more so because most likely the same scenario is played out everyday by less visible individuals who I have never heard of.

I guess I do get some sense of release when I hear Doc and Kate relate the more human side of their experiences with Lawrence. And maybe just a little more still from the fact this high profile case might lead to better answers to situations like this in the future. I certainly hope so.

 

[RED ED]

The one thing that I've always been curious about is who told LP that McKewen was at Frost's apartment. Somebody had to tell him because he wouldn't have known otherwise and it was reported that someone did inform him. If he isn't given that info that incident doesn't happen. (But maybe something worse would've happened later.)

I thought the stories at the time said she called him. .....but I am going off memory from a stories read decades ago, and I can't tell what I did last Thursday.

 

[Red Ghost]

I thought the stories at the time said she called him. .....but I am going off memory from a stories read decades ago, and I can't tell what I did last Thursday.

The version that I heard said that LP went looking for her, and someone at her place of residence told him where she supposedly was.

 

[Huskergod84]

The version that I heard said that LP went looking for her, and someone at her place of residence told him where she supposedly was.

Thats kind of the way I remember it going also. What ever happened to her anyways? Anyone know what she is doing now?

 

[Puddles]

I thought the stories at the time said she called him. .....but I am going off memory from a stories read decades ago, and I can't tell what I did last Thursday.

FWIW, I recall hearing he went home and went to bed and someone called him and told him she was at Frost's.

Regardless, I would be very interested to hear some unbridled accounts of how the team reacted to Frost and LP. I could have easily seen players taking sides.