After he assaulted an ex-girlfriend while at the University of Nebraska, many NFL teams were wary of risking a valuable draft choice on the talented, but troubled, Phillips. The St. Louis Rams took a chance, plucking Phillips with the sixth overall pick, and even shipped Jerome Bettis to the Pittsburgh Steelers to make room for him. “The Bus” is headed to the Hall of Fame; Phillips clashed with his coach over playing time, and was cut in his second season. Picked up by the San Francisco 49ers in ’99, Phillips played in just eight more games before he was done in the N.F.L.
Phillips couldn’t stay out of trouble after his playing days. In October of 2006, he was convicted of seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon for driving a car at a group of young men, injuring three. Two years later, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.