I don't think I have ever watched someone who can repeatedly walk the line of empathy and accountability with the grace that you do. You always challenge my assumptions and I thank you for that sincerely. Awesome video man!
It's tragic we live in a society that ignores suffering, and then punishes rather than helping with rehabilitation. He was absolutely wrong for a lot of the shit he did, no excusing it. It's sad that he never got a fair chance at life, just like a lot of people don't.
@@joshwiley4387 and a lot of it wasn't.because of "White Supremacy" like people are trying to claim. It was because of his own evironment and the people who were suppose to provide support and purpose. It happens WAY TOO OFTEN but it gets ignore to push this narrative of MODERN SYSTEMIC RACISM and promoting EQUITY. It breaks my heart y'all.
@@MookieLoLo why was he in that "environment" to begin with... we just gonna pretend like 200+ years of discrimination/slavery/incarceration isn't (at least somewhat) responsible for it? Racism is as American as football and Budweiser... Anyways, my point was that i feel bad for how the world treated this man, he did terrible shit no if ands or buts. I just hate that its a reality.
You know what they say, hurt people hurt people. Unless the individual finds the right therapy/support/coping mechanisms to deal with this pain & trauma, the cycle of hurt will just continue.
That was damn good. Made me tear up some talking about what happened to him at the hands of his mom's boyfriend. I was punched in the chest and thrown against the wall by a guy my mom dated after I talked back to her in front of him. He began to reprimand me, and it was like literally the first time he ever saw me in the daytime. Before then he was just coming over to spend the night and park his beer truck on our street during his lunches. I don't have a memory of him besides him saying hi and me speaking back then going to my bedroom before he beat me black and blue. I told my Grandma to get on my mom for letting some nigga she barely started dating handle me like that, calling me a fat little bitch before punching me as hard as he could. I guess he felt emboldened to do so since he was little and I was a big stalky 13 yr old - but it HURT so much. My grandma heard it but never did anything to my mom, she just had me stay back home with her in the hood. That was in the 8th grade. I never stayed with my mom again and grew up away from her or whatever BF was living off her. I honestly never really liked my mom after that. I still don't. I feel for you, brother Lawrence. I hope God has mercy on his soul.
So sorry, i hope u were able to get therapy or spiritual guidance which is key to forgiveness and moving on! Ur mother will need u before u ever need her.
I just discovered your channel today. I'm an oldhead and not a football fan, haven't watched any sports for 5+ years, but I've binged several of your videos. The ones I've watched haven't really been about football, but about the players. I've got to compliment you, not only on your story telling, but also on your ability to explain these situations in a very level headed, down-to-earth way. You show a great deal of empathy without judgment and also without excusing the mistakes these players make, and that's a rare quality and it's very commendable. I wish we saw more of that from youtubers, the media and really everybody. You're setting a great example for both young people and up and coming youtubers. Thank you for that.
Thank you Flem, this video came at the right time for me. Me and my girlfriend of 3 years broke up 3 months ago and I've been drinking beer everyday for a month. I know it's a crutch but hearing this story really puts everything in perspective for me and let's me know that I need to stop drinking and go to therapy before it becomes an addiction and spiraling out of control. Thank you
Help yourself Neptune. A relationship doesn't define you, and people come and go. You are the only constant. Leave the alcohol, get counselling, learn about yourself, be the best version of you. Sounds simplistic, but alcohol dependancy will only damage your job, friendships and your progress. Be good, stay safe dude.
I’m sorry to say, you’re already addicted at this point. Drinking daily for 90 days causes our set points to change for our neurotransmitters. Taper off and quit drinking - you GOT THIS!
Steve Young said in one interview: “Some guys have bruising power. Some guys have breakaway speed. Some guys can catch out of the backfield. Lawrence had ALL of that. So, yeah, of course we wanted him.”
As a die hard lifelong Nebraska fan, thank you for this. Thought I knew everything about his story but was did not, I didn't know about all the stuff in his childhood. You are amazing at what you do!
Hmm. Did you about how Scott Frost intertwined in this story while as a back-up quarterback in Lincoln? He sorta exaggerated to the police saying he was assaulted but locked his ass in the bathroom. Karma is a bitch....How is he doing as coach in Lincoln? Curious....
@@scottiebarnesismydad8124 …He most certainly was. Doesn’t he still have the good guy of the yr trophy in the NFL named for him? I was mostly trying to see what his name would look/sound like in reverse.. hahaha
Growing up abused and feeling unloved is something that haunts you throughout your life and it’s unshakable, if you are lucky you will experience the joys of being loved and learn how to handle which as crazy as it sounds is very hard to do. It’s too bad he didn’t have the strength to let someone love him and believe in him properly it would have made a difference in his life. Nothing excuses his actions for what he did but I do empathize with the person he was and understand the heavy heart he carried throughout his life. You are an amazing documentarian and your understanding of the inner soul of how humans relate is incredible and much appreciated. God love you
Flemlo is cold with the documentaries. 30 for 30 is subpar to this man. Thank you for the genuine content and showing the human in the most troubled of people.
I remember when some of this stuff happened at the time and the narrative was simply not this robust and I thought he was just a bad dude. Then when the NFL Network did their thing on draft busts they still left out A LOT of context with him so thank you so much for doing this man.
Thank you for telling this story so amazingly. LP was my cousin and I just want to tell you that you did a wonderful job and I appreciate the way you told it without bashing him to pieces. You never know what a person is going thru in their lives, you only know their star status and not the demons behind close doors that haunt them everyday.
Your cousin never had an honest chance. He started at -0. That trauma as a child followed him to adulthood. This wrld eats its young. Read so much about him. He was a beast on that field, just so hard to over-come all that was thrown @him. Flowers for your cousin. 💐🌹💐
I am Amaliya. The last gf he had. .. There was a real good side to Lawrence. It makes me angry when people think they knew him and only have negative things to say about him. They didn't know him. I truly loved him and I wish things had been different..
If there is ever a documentary done on him the network HAS to reach out to your for resources because this was done SO well. I idealized him as a kid playing football and always wondered about the details of what happened to him. Thank you soooo much for this.
Greatest storyteller on RUclips. Would love to see you make “What Happened To?” on Hip-Hop/Rap artists. Either on this channel or a diff one. Keep creating that fye bro 🔥
@@fredcheckam holy shit now I’m imagining Flem instead of the dude behind Hip Hop Daily doing the narration. Nothing against the latter but those vids would be far better with flem narrating
@@sriig I like the Hip Hop Daily channel. I do feel like some of his content is repetitive though. If you've seen one Chicago drill video on his channel, you've seen most of the rest.
This is the first time I have ever came to tears from this series. This man was completely broken, yes the things he did to others was terrible but my goodness got to understand that you break the child you break the man. May he rest in peace 🙏🏿
Ditto broken man crying out for help...wish he sought God God will not betray you God's love is enduring outlives time because God is Time and TIME is God
I know he had a bad childhood, but I wonder if he had a lot of enablers that looked the other way, covered up things that he did, rather than step in with some firm discipline in his high school and college days. Universities, especially back then were notorious for covering up for their elite athletes.
@@powerboatguy2308 ,, wym IF ? he was very much enabled. and given a better opportunity for his actions. he beat that girl & didn’t even lose his scholarship.
Don't jinx the man,because he was around the 80 to 200 thousand subscribers mark for years and me and plenty others used to always wonder why, then during the pandemic or what ever,the man started to get 10s of thousands of subscribers every time I checked. .
23:03 Considering that Dick Vermeil coached Marshall Faulk during the Greatest Show on Turf years, that really says something about how amazing Lawrence Phillips could've been if he hadn't been so terribly damaged during his childhood.
The childhood stories are just beyond sad. To do those things to a defenceless child…it’s beyond a reaction or words. I think Flemlo summed up perfectly: “pure evil”.
@@coachcarroll963 what was the purpose of pointing this out? Let’s not forget that it’s old white men’s fault in the first place for upholding racist laws that neutered the growth and development of the black communities across America. Maybe if those people were compensated for what they EARNED on the plantation and then actually left alone by hateful and insecure wypipo, we’d have better family dynamics. Having financial security helps with that.
@@coachcarroll963 Maybe a better way to say this is "the people who helped him most only did so because he could run fast while carrying a football". If Phillips ran a 5.3 Osborne wouldn't have given a damn about his wellbeing
This story for real broke my heart. His life was over from the time his father walked out and mom only thought about herself. Probably hated her own son because of his dad. Just sad 😔
“But even with the gift of next level speed and quickness, Lawrence Phillips still couldn’t outrun his demons.” You strive to be a great writer Flemlo. You already are man👍🏾
Tom Osborne once said about him"this kid needs as much football in his life as he can get" he wanted to try to make him a better person, but unfortunately you only get 60 minutes on the field and a whole lot of time off the field.
I Thank You For Your Work Here On RUclips I Have Followed You From The Beginning, Here You Masterfully Tell This Man's Story In A Way Few People Could Ever Attempt To! If You Ever Read A Book By University Of Pennsylvania Lit Professor James A. Mischner , He Had A Telant For Putting The Reader Right In The Sences Of The Book With The Written Word Here Brother Flemlo, U Put The Viewer/Listener Directly Into The Sences Of The Story With Your Indepth Ability To Vividly Tell A Story With A Clairty Few Can Master This Just Isn't A Story Of A Football Player Nor The NFL, It's A Story Of What Is Happening And Has Been Happening In Our Communities For Well Over 80 Years And It Gets Worse With Each Passing Generation Abused And Broken, Unloved Children Trying To Find Thier Way In The World Were Thier Is So Much Hate, 😈 Evil And Abuse Of All Kind How Is A Child To Cope With All Of This And Be A Productive Person And Fully Understand Right From Wrong Through All This Constant Abuse, People In These Situations Are Destroyed As Human Beings Even Before They Ever Have A Chance At Life No, The Things Larry Phillips Did Out Of Emotional Duress Are Not Right But This Brother Told His Story So Clearly, That We Can See What Is Happening To Us As A People And Not Just Lawrence Phillips Each One Of Us Knew A Lawrence Phillips Growing Up, ( I Am One, Myself!!! ) I Played High School Football With Curtis Martin's Uncel, Mark Martin, Mark Was One Too!!! If U Ever Read Curtis Martin's Autobiography, U Know That His Mother Was In A Very Abusive Relationship, But The Difference For Curtis Was That His Mother Loved Him Dearly, She Would Die For That Boy! Not Only Did I Play High School Football With His Uncel, I Ran Track With His Uncel In High School Too And He Was In One Of My Classes, But Curtis Aunt's Went To School With Us Too!!! One Was In The Band, One On The Drill Team And One Was A Majorette Curtis's Mother Would Bring Curtis To Our Football Games At South Hills High In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania One Game We Where Playing Brashear High School, Who We Beat 40 to 14, That Rain Soaked October Afternoon In 1977, Mark Stands Up Out On The Field And Proclams, Pointing To The Stands At Curtis And States That His Nephew Is Going To Be An NFL Super Star!!!! Our Teamates Object To Mark Saying This, How Could Mark Know This, ( I Knew What His One Sister Was Into And How Mark Knew, She Looked At Me As A Walking Dead Man At Only 15, But I Knew What Evil 😈 She Was Working With ) I Told Them If This Is Mark's Dream For His Nephew, Who Are We To Speak Against It, Let Mark Dream And Let's Watch And See What Happens By High School At Pittsburgh's Taylor Alderdice High School, Curtis Martin Was Rewriting City League Of Pittsburgh Record Books And Coaches From The College Ranks Where Taking Notice!!! Six 200 Yard Plus Games And Two 300 Yard Plus Games Curtis Stayed Home And Went To The University Of Pittsburgh And He Continued At Pitt, As He Did In High School, Likely The Best Running Back Out Of Pitt Since Tony Dorsett But There Are Some Very Striking Similarities Between Curtis And Lawrence Phillips But Curtis Had People who Loved Him From The Beginning Until This Day And Lawrence Phillips Did Not, Curtis Had People To Show Him Right From Wrong And How To Carry Himself Lawrence Phillips Did Not Have That In His First 16 Years Of Life, He Had Abuse, No Love, No Direction And A Institutional ized Lifestyle A Formula Not Geared For Success! There Are Millions Of Lawrence Phillips In Our Society Today And When They Act Out, They Are Deemed Bad People But We Must See, That They Are Badly Damaged People, Who Have Done Bad Things Acting Out The Pain Of Thier Emotions, Because They Are Not Emotionally Mature Enough In Thier Brokenness To Handle Situations Of Emotional Distress They Find Themselves In It Does Not Give A Person A FREE Pass At Doing Something That's Wrong, But Must Realize That This Person Does Not Have The Growth And Social/Emotional Skill To Deal With Things In A Acceptable Way And It's Not Making An Excuse, It's True Fact!!! But The Law And Order People Will Beat Thier Chests And Throw People Like Lawrence Phillips Away And Completely Destroy Them Which Is Just What Was Done To Lawrence Phillips! We Have To Reach Out And Save Our People And Our Selves From Being Destroyed Read 1st Peter 5:8, Because This Is What Happened To Lawrence Phillips And Millions Like Him!!!! Miss Anita And The Drummond Gamg Said Hi Brother Flem, Keep Doin' What You Do, My Brother ! We Love You!❤💯💣 Respectfully Rob Bell 🔔 With
Love Lawrence. I’m from Nebraska. Was so proud to have him. Anytime he messed up, I wished him the strength to grow. When he passed, it broke my heart. I wish him peace. Beautiful documentary, the empathy and sympathy expressed at least gives a balanced insight. Thank you. The 30 for 30 documentary also adds insight. The woman he went to prison over actually supports him in the documentary, even after everything he did to her. I wish him eternal peace.
LP is one of the saddest and most divisive stories in Husker history. A lot of people still hate Tom Osborne for letting him stick around. Personally, I think TO believed that football helped keep him out of trouble, so the decision was made with good intentions and not done just to win a championship. Still, it’s one of those calls that I don’t think I would’ve been able to make
Glad you looked at the impact of mental/emotional abuse in his story. We don't give that enough attention, especially in young boys who get told to "toughen up" or "just get over it" instead of actually processing and healing the damage. How do you expect a young man to be stable when his dignity and self-worth were taken away from him as a child by those who were supposed to guide him?
Can say with 100% certainty that Dick Vermeil was genuine when he says it haunts him that he let Lawrence Phillips go even after the struggles. While there were a lot of stories from the Rams era where they said he was too demanding early on in the training camps and set guys in to get Vermeil fired from his job or at the minimum reduced training regimens and less two-a-day's, when they finally showed on field performances all that dropped, and several players who had personal issues or even a bad day recounted stories in which he would show up at their house that evening just wanting to let them air out their problems and talk about life in general for hours on end. So when Lawrence Phillips comes along he had hopes that he could help a young man with some inner turmoil from years of poor situations, neglect, and abuse and get the man in a positive mental place, and unlike many of those whom he had found that place for he just couldn't help Lawrence because of the lack of a solid foundation mentally. Just wanted to share that bit on vermeil, though it's likely a lot of stories will surface to support it now that he just got his HOF election. like many i don't think it makes some things he (Lawrence Phillips) did forgivable, but it makes it easy to understand why he lacked emotional control given how rough he had it.
This might be the first Flemlo video I’ll have to put on hold for a bit. My depression will not make it through this one. Been here from the beginning bro and man, sitting back and thinking, you knocked this one out the park all I haven’t made it passed wayne yet. The tone, the music, you can feel this video). Incredible man, you a goat In this genre. This one seems so heavy and you painted that picture too vivid. I applaud you.
Man I never knew about his mom basically abandoning him and having one of her lovers pee on him. I would be that angry, vengeful and messed up too if something like that happened to me.
@@silverback7675 That's gotta be up there with he most degrading things a person can experience so you can totally understand how he went off the depend from there and lacked any sort of impulse control, it's why you always should protect and look after kids because mistreatment could result in them becoming lost in our society
I don't understand how you don't have billions of followers. You are the best storyteller on RUclips. You dig up so much information on these guys. It's amazing! Keep up the great work. I love your channel.
i remember Lawrence Phillips in college. What a talent. I never knew his early life was so tragic. Very sad, he needed help, but at the time there was an even stronger stigma surrounding mental illness/substance abuse than now.
I grew up in Omaha. I went to high school with almost 1/3 of the guys on the depth chart with #1 Phillips... Including Tony Veland, Damon Benning, Matt Aden, Clinton Childs, Ahman Green ... and on and on... but I was never committed to Husker fandom in the way you, Flem, commit to Bengals fandom despite not having a regional or local connection to them. Tom Osborne leaving the sidelines and the tragedy of Lawrence Phillips amid the GLORY of NCAA football dominance that was the Nebraska Cornhuskers during my school years ... is a legendary memory ... I have wonderful stories to regale about those years of college football. University of Nebraska at Lincoln shall NEVER reach such heights again.
Bro, you have a gift for explaining the other side of the story and show it's okay to pity someone while still holding them accountable. Good luck on Sunday. I'll be pulling for y'all.
Flemlo I played with LP and that was my brother - as we transitioned through life i had a feeling it would not end well- some people are not reachable that doesn’t mean you don’t try especially if you love and care for them- unfortunately his tragedy started early and once that was ingrained in him the fear the distrust the anger it was over - RIP LP
15:04 ......this will never sit right with me. This whole story was heartbreaking, and how you narrate it is absolutely amazing. Like seriously Flem, your are a true, honest to God, king. Props to you man. And as a Steelers fan, I will say this once. WHO DEY!
Bruh, I’ve been watching your channel for a couple years now. I absolutely love your content and you are a very gifted storyteller and orator. I really like going back through these older videos though cause I swear, homie, your older style of narration? It’s like a form of long form poetry or some shit lol. I’m just saying, some of the ways you chose to illustrate things, it can make me feel like I’m watching/listening to a performance akin to live poetry, motivational speaking, or something similar to that. It’s also always so incredible to me how empathetic and compassionate you are with your main character focuses. Often they aren’t the most redeemable people or they are just hard to forgive/understand/etc. But as someone who’s gone through a lot of regrettable shit, and things most people would never understand, you know how to unravel the complexities of life and the things most people don’t realize can happen to anyone. Thank you so much homie. I appreciate you and all your hard work. Keep doing what you know you were meant to do, cause it’s not just me that you have inspired and helped. Much love
Phillips, Clarett, my classmate Rae Carruth.. its sad. And Raes mom is the sweetest lady in the world NO FCCN CAP, still in contact with her today.. Havent heard from Rae, but Ms. Theo is a Saint
I went to Michigan State and went to that game you mentioned. Nebraska put up over 500 rushing yards if memory serves. As a Spartan the game was so deflating. That team also had another amazing RB named Ahman Green who also ran wild on us. Memories... (bleh!)
As someone who struggles with anger issues, this story broke my heart. It shows me how bad it can get, but also throw things into perspective. It’s hard to just let things go and move on when it’s ingrained into you for so long. And for many, it’ll take their entire lives to figure it out. Others might never get to do the same. For me, it’s a journey that feels like being stuck in one place while the rest of the world moves. But this is sobering, for lack of a better word. I have to be better as a person, as a man, and as someone who still has time.
I’m from the area where Lawrence Phillips grew up in. The city right over. I’m met a lot of coaches and people who remember and loved him. It was a sad day out here when he died and it brought the Baldwin Park community together. Tragic life.
This is why I love your talent at storytelling. Illustrating such a troubled past and showing all sides of the story in an eloquent way. You have a gift for storytelling man fr. One helluva video and keep up the great work this was beautiful
In my experience, beating PTSD is only a matter of remembering what it felt like to be that child, on the receiving end of abuse. It's the key to beginning the healing, to keep from passing it on to next generations... To find your young heart, again. He's being what he's been "trained up to be."... Programmed to it. However, he definitely has the inner strength to change, dramatically! He only needs that moment, to feeeeeel it. It will enrage him, that he became the whole, of parts, of every bad "parent influence" he endured; and, hell become driven, to break those chains, and to rip it out of himself, because it's not who he really is... A treasure, buried in the mire of a hard life. The football is a place for burning off the frustrations.
As a Nebraska fan, looking at his tape, Lawrence Phillips was the most talented running back I've ever seen play for the Scarlet and Cream. His story breaks my heart. (And for those of you wondering, yes it is THAT Scott Frost in the story)
Flemlo, you are by far the best at bringing what you bring. The realism, and heart that you are able to present is genuine and that is what sets you and your channel apart. God bless you brother!
Congrats on your Bengals going to the SB. This story is just too tragic just what Lawrence Phillips went through in his life. No person should experience the many hardships he went through.
Dude you absolutely crush this, Phillips was always a fascinating draft bust. I’d love to see a long form one on Demetrious Underwood With your nuanced approach
What a sad and painful story. This was a talented man that couldn't escape his demons. If he would've gotten the help, he could've easily been one of the greatest running backs of all time
Facts LP had HOF potential written all over. However, like you said he couldn't escape his demons and he should've got help before he started receiving a lot of notoriety
@@sjnorthmusic Yeah. But I do understand that he grew up with people literally hating him like pure evil. This is one of the saddest stories ever and it's good that FlemLo Raps made this video because now everyone can see what led him to the dark path that he chose
I wasn't even gonna watch this video 'cause I've never heard of Lawrence Phillips but I let the que play and you had me hooked. The way you tell these stories is addicting. You're definitely the best at it on my RUclips feed. I appreciate ya, bro.
I grew up in Nebraska and was obviously a huge Huskers fan. Lawrence Phillips was one of the most talented college running backs ever. It was so much fun watching him play and dominate as a RB. His life is such a sad and tragic story. I have nothing but sympathy for him. He’ll be one of the most “what could have been” athletes of all time. Can’t make excuses for his life decisions but you can understand why based off all the trauma he experienced as a child. Such a sad sad sad and tragic story 😢 Rest In Peace LP.
Another gem from my boy Flemlo. Always a well researched and elaborate breakdown of the situation. Nobody else does it like you man, keep em coming and we'll keep on watching.
Thanks so much for making ths video bro. Damn this brings me back. I remember Lawrence. He was one of my favorite players in CF. He tortured Florida in the Championship back in 96' as well as every other opponent. I Laugh at how no one gave Nebraska a chance in that game. It's very tragic how rough this man's life was yet he still succeeded to a great degree.
The world and its people need LOVE Flemlo, badly (from Baltimore). This was the most emotionally wrenching video I've seen of yours. I gotta say man the level of investigative journalism is totally on a whole another level, props to you on that sir
this is so sad. really sad. when people say ‘kids are resilient’ please pop that person in the head for they know not what they speak. please treat your kids like the gold that they are … in the end, it’s better for everyone. 💔
I was hoping you would mention he's high school, in Baldwin Park High School. His picture and name is big in our town even though his past was bad. We still have his picture in our hall of fame, we know he had a hard life. I appreciate you doing a biography on him .
Lawrence Phillips and i both suffered from alot of the same things, I grew up with my blood ofc but I was neglected and bullied in school n all in so many ways n a big reason why I was bullied was bc I had a stroke in the uterus bc my sister’s father hit my mom while she was pregnant which gave me alot of disabilities and my big one js that I’m a seizure patient and till this day when something goes wrong that’s all I can think about and go into defensive mode and beat myself up from the inside, my own mother even tho Ik she meant well raising me, she neglected me when I needed her most, when I needed her to take my side and believe me that my sister’s hate me and etc n bc she was too worried about trying to be their friend and not their parent, my step father was the only one who I had to talk to and I loved that man to death, without him my voice was never heard until he passed in 2019 but at the end of the day no one will understand what I go through on a day to day basis bc when I explain myself I sound like I’m on drugs, I tried to commit suicide bc I do not fit in this world, I feel like I do not belong in this body at times and it’s just a really weird feeling that never goes away, just like Lawrence my base was never there and I never got to experience how it feels to be pain free not once in my life and I cry at night sometimes just thinking about what I could have accomplished if I had a full brain or if my nerve damage that caused my left leg to have partial paralysis in my left leg or if my back wasn’t as bad as it is. It’s hard bc my own wife doesn’t understand what pain I go through on a good day bc with 24 years on this earth I learned how to smile through the pain & hopelessness and get this one…my sons birthday was yesterday and I’m still waiting for my family to call me so they can wish him a happy birthday but not even his grandmother can wish him a happy birthday not even a text. But mind you I used to give my family every dime I had to the point where instead of moving out of my moms house as soon as my wife n i got engaged I decided to try and help my family get on their feet and was spit on by them. I didn’t mean to write this much buhh listening to this story even tho it’s not completely the same, I still suffer n feel abandoned and the beast of anger I have in me just waits to come out when I feel attacked which is almost a lot , all I ever wanted was to be loved by my blood
Dang man really pissed on his Step son that’s some messed up stuff that would haunt him with the lack of father figure to teach him right from wrong and look up to
I remember when I first came across your channel. I binge watched the whole day and shared your link with quite a few people. Love your channel man and congrats on your Bengals making it to the super bowl even after knocking out my Titans. ... J
Bro, you are one of the best storytellers on RUclips. Thanks for the great work. This, is the most tragic and moving yet. You do a fantastic job of presenting the details to the best of your ability, while acknowledging the sadness, tragedy for all involved, while being respectful to all sides. Thanks again for the work you do.
Flemlo, thanks for what you do. You help me get past my bias where I write people off as, "another ungrateful thug," and help me understand the challenges that POC face every day in the country. Thanks so much.
I met him in a bar in Vegas. This was the Early 2000's. One of the guys I was with had gone to school at Nebraska with him and knew him. He was pretty cool in person. Sad that his life ended up being so tragic.
FlemYooooooo! These production values are through the roof!! Great to see a RUclips channel I follow for a long time continue to get better and better to the point it looks studio made.
Flemlo, this was beautifully done. The care and compassion you crafted this video with is absolutely extraordinary. I'm ashamed to admit that my familiarity with the headlines of his story wouldn't allow me to be empathetic to his plight. This video changed that. Dramatically. Thank you.
He was crazy good on Madden '98 when he played for the Rams. They made him ridiculously good, like Bo Jackson good before he had played a snap in the NFL.
Incredible video FlemLo Raps. I had forgotten about this guy. It’s just so damn sad. I appreciate you taking your time and getting the whole story straight. RIP to this poor soul. 😔
Thanks for doing this video to bring to light Lawrence Phillips real story. Until I watched this video I had a very negative opinion about this man thinking he wasted his talents and threw his life away. My opinion of him, thanks to you is completely 100% changed.
Kudos, Flemlo. I have been watching your videos almost since the beginning and although you are producing less content lately, this deep was incredible. I think many college football fans will know some of Phillips' story, but you dug deeper while also still also finding balance and nuance in his story. When the story first broke, I was also skeptical because of the penmanship of his prison letters as you so astutely pointed out. Thanks again. Nebraska teammate Jason peters would also be another great deep dive.
Man this was a tough one to watch. Shedded a tear about the story of how his life ended in the cell. What a tragic story to say the least. Great work as always FlemLo! 🙏🏾
This has been happening to one of my uncles good friends a very tough but loving dude, when I was younger me and my little brother enjoyed his company. Somewhere I feel this same pattern happened RIP Lawrence
Wanted to say that I am a big fan of your videos. You are wicked talented when it comes to story telling. Extremely well spoken and your use of metaphors and your ability to decypher and interpret the overall theme or message is always spot on. Keep up the solid work buddy I recognize the amount of work that goes into these videos and appreciate the product that you produce!
Yet another quality video. Thank you for the work that you put into each one to continuously deliver informative content that also contains the "personal touch" that a lot of other channels lack. Unrelated to this video, I also wanted to say how happy that I am for you to be able to enjoy the season that your Bengals have had this year. Growing up in the Green Bay, WI area during pre-Favre times, I can understand how rewarding it is to see a team that you've supported for so long turn a stretch of seasons that were painful to watch around. Hearing your story and passion for Cincinnati was infectious, and I found myself rooting for them as well (except WEEK 5, of course). My wife, 8 year old son, and myself all bleed Green and Gold, but as soon as the 49'ers ended our season (yet again), we have all been yelling "WHO DEY?!" and I'm hoping to see an upload within the next week where you are celebrating a storybook season where the underdogs proved all of the doubters wrong and are finally bringing the Lombardi Trophy home to Cincinnati. That said, thank you again. Please keep releasing great content, and I'll keep avidly watching.
Lawrence Phillips was one of my favorite running backs. Thank you for telling this story! I've always heard bit and pieces of it but your story definitely opened up my eyes to what this man went thru as a child and then as an adult. I worked with at risk youth and seen very similar upbringings in alot of the kids I worked with that had been abused physically, mentally and emotionally. This is definitely a sad story of what could have been. Thank you for this one Flomlo💯
Maaan. Flem never misses ✅ Another gripping documentary. A sad story indeed. He had a ton of potential but couldn't put all the pieces together for one reason or another.
I wish ThexNFL network would take note of this channel. Some how I woukd live to see stories like these at the draft, Superbowl, or part of a Sunday game. The stories told her need to be looked at on a bigger stage. I accidentally stumbled across this channel a couple years ago and love it. I am not a huge sports fan, just an average fan, but love the in depth stories presented here, I know there is a lot of hard work and love of the spirt to put them out. Keep up all the hard work, man, you deserve all the praise you get in the comments, live your channel.
This is the first time I have ever liked a video prior to watching it! When you can make someone feel like we have been boys for years without even meeting that person, that in my opinion is expert level mastery of your craft!
I don't think I have ever watched someone who can repeatedly walk the line of empathy and accountability with the grace that you do. You always challenge my assumptions and I thank you for that sincerely. Awesome video man!
I completely agree!!!
1000% !
Yeah, he's absolutely the best in the business, totally agree
If you follow scripture, it's easier than you think. We're all human.
Yes...Hands down the best story teller on YT, not just sports I think probably any category he chose!
His “parents” failed him in so many ways. Tragic story to hear honestly but you did him justice
And he ultimately failed himself.
Dude had so much talent physically and sounded like intellectually. Listening all I can think is what could have been if he had real parents.
Cte
His parents didn't failed him , he made it he failed himself.
Blk daddy always leave they kids it's common foe blks haha
The reality is, 99 out of 100 kids with that kind of childhood are going to end up as a sociopath at best.
I don't apologize for what he did but his story breaks my heart.
Tons of these kids are scarred so deeply that they just never recover.
I saw this guy n real time he was A.P before A.p
It's tragic we live in a society that ignores suffering, and then punishes rather than helping with rehabilitation.
He was absolutely wrong for a lot of the shit he did, no excusing it.
It's sad that he never got a fair chance at life, just like a lot of people don't.
@@joshwiley4387 and a lot of it wasn't.because of "White Supremacy" like people are trying to claim. It was because of his own evironment and the people who were suppose to provide support and purpose. It happens WAY TOO OFTEN but it gets ignore to push this narrative of MODERN SYSTEMIC RACISM and promoting EQUITY. It breaks my heart y'all.
@@MookieLoLo why was he in that "environment" to begin with... we just gonna pretend like 200+ years of discrimination/slavery/incarceration isn't (at least somewhat) responsible for it? Racism is as American as football and Budweiser...
Anyways, my point was that i feel bad for how the world treated this man, he did terrible shit no if ands or buts. I just hate that its a reality.
You know what they say, hurt people hurt people.
Unless the individual finds the right therapy/support/coping mechanisms to deal with this pain & trauma, the cycle of hurt will just continue.
That was damn good. Made me tear up some talking about what happened to him at the hands of his mom's boyfriend. I was punched in the chest and thrown against the wall by a guy my mom dated after I talked back to her in front of him. He began to reprimand me, and it was like literally the first time he ever saw me in the daytime. Before then he was just coming over to spend the night and park his beer truck on our street during his lunches. I don't have a memory of him besides him saying hi and me speaking back then going to my bedroom before he beat me black and blue. I told my Grandma to get on my mom for letting some nigga she barely started dating handle me like that, calling me a fat little bitch before punching me as hard as he could. I guess he felt emboldened to do so since he was little and I was a big stalky 13 yr old - but it HURT so much. My grandma heard it but never did anything to my mom, she just had me stay back home with her in the hood. That was in the 8th grade. I never stayed with my mom again and grew up away from her or whatever BF was living off her. I honestly never really liked my mom after that. I still don't. I feel for you, brother Lawrence. I hope God has mercy on his soul.
Very relatable.
Very sorry.
Damn bro smh i feel your pain...
So sorry, i hope u were able to get therapy or spiritual guidance which is key to forgiveness and moving on! Ur mother will need u before u ever need her.
Wow sorry to hear that, stay strong.
😢🙏🏽🙏🏽
You know it’s about to be emotional when it takes him 3 minutes to “Queue da Wayne”.
Love the channel Flem
exactly right
Bruh I forgot it was coming and it hit me a bit different this time can't lie
Lol. True
FRFR
I just discovered your channel today. I'm an oldhead and not a football fan, haven't watched any sports for 5+ years, but I've binged several of your videos. The ones I've watched haven't really been about football, but about the players. I've got to compliment you, not only on your story telling, but also on your ability to explain these situations in a very level headed, down-to-earth way. You show a great deal of empathy without judgment and also without excusing the mistakes these players make, and that's a rare quality and it's very commendable. I wish we saw more of that from youtubers, the media and really everybody. You're setting a great example for both young people and up and coming youtubers. Thank you for that.
Thank u🙏🏾
@@FlemLoRaps thank you man. Keep doing you.
Lawrence Phillips: a talented player, but a deeply troubled man.
Best way to describe him.
@@onunka16💯
Thank you Flem, this video came at the right time for me. Me and my girlfriend of 3 years broke up 3 months ago and I've been drinking beer everyday for a month. I know it's a crutch but hearing this story really puts everything in perspective for me and let's me know that I need to stop drinking and go to therapy before it becomes an addiction and spiraling out of control. Thank you
Help yourself Neptune. A relationship doesn't define you, and people come and go. You are the only constant. Leave the alcohol, get counselling, learn about yourself, be the best version of you. Sounds simplistic, but alcohol dependancy will only damage your job, friendships and your progress. Be good, stay safe dude.
Routing for you.....praying for ur good.....major peace to u
I’m sorry to say, you’re already addicted at this point. Drinking daily for 90 days causes our set points to change for our neurotransmitters. Taper off and quit drinking - you GOT THIS!
Steve Young said in one interview: “Some guys have bruising power. Some guys have breakaway speed. Some guys can catch out of the backfield. Lawrence had ALL of that. So, yeah, of course we wanted him.”
How ironic that it was Phillips that helped end his career
@@sickofguysnamedtodd2293
Really is
Notice he didn't mention blocking.
he had all of that except a brain. What a waste of talent .
As a die hard lifelong Nebraska fan, thank you for this. Thought I knew everything about his story but was did not, I didn't know about all the stuff in his childhood. You are amazing at what you do!
Hmm. Did you about how Scott Frost intertwined in this story while as a back-up quarterback in Lincoln? He sorta exaggerated to the police saying he was assaulted but locked his ass in the bathroom.
Karma is a bitch....How is he doing as coach in Lincoln? Curious....
This is one of the saddest stories in the history of football. The dude had a Walter Payton-like ceiling but could never get out of his own way.
Id say the opposite of Walter Payton
Sooo, Retlaw NotyaP?
@@farmerlarbear2244 nah I mean Walter Payton was a nice guy
@@scottiebarnesismydad8124 …He most certainly was. Doesn’t he still have the good guy of the yr trophy in the NFL named for him?
I was mostly trying to see what his name would look/sound like in reverse.. hahaha
@@farmerlarbear2244 yep. Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Growing up abused and feeling unloved is something that haunts you throughout your life and it’s unshakable, if you are lucky you will experience the joys of being loved and learn how to handle which as crazy as it sounds is very hard to do. It’s too bad he didn’t have the strength to let someone love him and believe in him properly it would have made a difference in his life. Nothing excuses his actions for what he did but I do empathize with the person he was and understand the heavy heart he carried throughout his life. You are an amazing documentarian and your understanding of the inner soul of how humans relate is incredible and much appreciated. God love you
Flemlo is cold with the documentaries. 30 for 30 is subpar to this man. Thank you for the genuine content and showing the human in the most troubled of people.
30 for 30 is trash compared to Flem, don't demote him by comparing him to msespn.
I agree, it’s meant as a compliment. However, a lot of people on this channel don’t like ESPN’s 30 for 30.
Yeah I watched the 30 for 30 right before this, and Flem blows that clear out of the water.
I remember when some of this stuff happened at the time and the narrative was simply not this robust and I thought he was just a bad dude. Then when the NFL Network did their thing on draft busts they still left out A LOT of context with him so thank you so much for doing this man.
Thank you for telling this story so amazingly. LP was my cousin and I just want to tell you that you did a wonderful job and I appreciate the way you told it without bashing him to pieces. You never know what a person is going thru in their lives, you only know their star status and not the demons behind close doors that haunt them everyday.
Your cousin never had an honest chance. He started at -0. That trauma as a child followed him to adulthood. This wrld eats its young. Read so much about him. He was a beast on that field, just so hard to over-come all that was thrown @him. Flowers for your cousin. 💐🌹💐
@@N.a.j.i. Thank You So Much. People seem to forget that people who are in the lime light are real people that deal with real issues.
Husker fan here....he was a beast! Dude had a huge heart not just in football. You could see it.
@@N.a.j.i. Bullshit, there’s ppl that go through waaay more than him and they don’t choose to strangle women and kill ppl
I am Amaliya. The last gf he had. .. There was a real good side to Lawrence. It makes me angry when people think they knew him and only have negative things to say about him. They didn't know him. I truly loved him and I wish things had been different..
If there is ever a documentary done on him the network HAS to reach out to your for resources because this was done SO well. I idealized him as a kid playing football and always wondered about the details of what happened to him. Thank you soooo much for this.
Showtime already mad one.
Greatest storyteller on RUclips. Would love to see you make “What Happened To?” on Hip-Hop/Rap artists. Either on this channel or a diff one. Keep creating that fye bro 🔥
Never thought about that but his input on some of the drill scenes would be great content
@@fredcheckam holy shit now I’m imagining Flem instead of the dude behind Hip Hop Daily doing the narration. Nothing against the latter but those vids would be far better with flem narrating
Agreed. If he could pronounce “ask” he would be modern legend
Trap lore Russ , check him out
@@sriig I like the Hip Hop Daily channel. I do feel like some of his content is repetitive though. If you've seen one Chicago drill video on his channel, you've seen most of the rest.
This is the first time I have ever came to tears from this series. This man was completely broken, yes the things he did to others was terrible but my goodness got to understand that you break the child you break the man. May he rest in peace 🙏🏿
LP was a bad man hate walk happen to him young gifted and b
Black what a great combo
Ditto broken man crying out for help...wish he sought God God will not betray you God's love is enduring outlives time because God is Time and TIME is God
I know he had a bad childhood, but I wonder if he had a lot of enablers that looked the other way, covered up things that he did, rather than step in with some firm discipline in his high school and college days. Universities, especially back then were notorious for covering up for their elite athletes.
@@powerboatguy2308 ,, wym IF ? he was very much enabled. and given a better opportunity for his actions. he beat that girl & didn’t even lose his scholarship.
Tom Osborne tried to help him and was demonized for trying.
How is FlemLo still under 1M subs?? best NFL story teller in youtube! the What happened series is absolutely amazing!
Big facts
Don't jinx the man,because he was around the 80 to 200 thousand subscribers mark for years and me and plenty others used to always wonder why, then during the pandemic or what ever,the man started to get 10s of thousands of subscribers every time I checked. .
23:03 Considering that Dick Vermeil coached Marshall Faulk during the Greatest Show on Turf years, that really says something about how amazing Lawrence Phillips could've been if he hadn't been so terribly damaged during his childhood.
Maybe consider when vermeil coached the greatest show on turf… 1999
The childhood stories are just beyond sad. To do those things to a defenceless child…it’s beyond a reaction or words. I think Flemlo summed up perfectly: “pure evil”.
And the people who helped him most in his life were older white men. Not other black men and definitely not his mom.
@@coachcarroll963 what was the purpose of pointing this out? Let’s not forget that it’s old white men’s fault in the first place for upholding racist laws that neutered the growth and development of the black communities across America. Maybe if those people were compensated for what they EARNED on the plantation and then actually left alone by hateful and insecure wypipo, we’d have better family dynamics. Having financial security helps with that.
@@newjumpcityjosh9333 Thank you
Racist laws? Like what? Lmao
@@coachcarroll963 Maybe a better way to say this is "the people who helped him most only did so because he could run fast while carrying a football". If Phillips ran a 5.3 Osborne wouldn't have given a damn about his wellbeing
This story for real broke my heart. His life was over from the time his father walked out and mom only thought about herself. Probably hated her own son because of his dad. Just sad 😔
This story has been told MANY times, but none of them has been told as well as this one. GREAT JOB!!!
My nigga seriously you need to be bigger than you are. You’re the most objective speaker Ive come across in my life wholeheartedly
I work in a prison myself and your empathetic story telling always helps to keep my mind on track. Thank you as always Flem.
Great mindset n observation
“But even with the gift of next level speed and quickness, Lawrence Phillips still couldn’t outrun his demons.” You strive to be a great writer Flemlo. You already are man👍🏾
Tom Osborne once said about him"this kid needs as much football in his life as he can get" he wanted to try to make him a better person, but unfortunately you only get 60 minutes on the field and a whole lot of time off the field.
He should’ve been in therapy also tho
@@tgrice601 good luck convincing a hard-nosed, football playing, foster kid in the 90’s that he needs to go to therapy
I Thank You For Your Work Here On RUclips
I Have Followed You From The Beginning, Here You Masterfully Tell This Man's Story In A Way Few People Could Ever Attempt To!
If You Ever Read A Book By University Of Pennsylvania Lit Professor James A. Mischner , He Had A Telant For Putting The Reader Right In The Sences Of The Book With The Written Word
Here Brother Flemlo, U Put The Viewer/Listener Directly Into The Sences Of The Story With Your Indepth Ability To Vividly Tell A Story With A Clairty Few Can Master
This Just Isn't A Story Of A Football Player Nor The NFL, It's A Story Of What Is Happening And Has Been Happening In Our Communities For Well Over 80 Years And It Gets Worse With Each Passing Generation
Abused And Broken, Unloved Children Trying To Find Thier Way In The World Were Thier Is So Much Hate, 😈 Evil And Abuse Of All Kind
How Is A Child To Cope With All Of This And Be A Productive Person And Fully Understand Right From Wrong Through All This Constant Abuse, People In These Situations Are Destroyed As Human Beings Even Before They Ever Have A Chance At Life
No, The Things Larry Phillips Did Out Of Emotional Duress Are Not Right
But This Brother Told His Story So Clearly, That We Can See What Is Happening To Us As A People And Not Just Lawrence Phillips
Each One Of Us Knew A Lawrence Phillips Growing Up, ( I Am One, Myself!!! ) I Played High School Football With Curtis Martin's Uncel, Mark Martin, Mark Was One Too!!!
If U Ever Read Curtis Martin's Autobiography, U Know That His Mother Was In A Very Abusive Relationship, But The Difference For Curtis Was That His Mother Loved Him Dearly, She Would Die For That Boy!
Not Only Did I Play High School Football With His Uncel, I Ran Track With His Uncel In High School Too And He Was In One Of My Classes, But Curtis Aunt's Went To School With Us Too!!!
One Was In The Band, One On The Drill Team And One Was A Majorette
Curtis's Mother Would Bring Curtis To Our Football Games At South Hills High In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
One Game We Where Playing Brashear High School, Who We Beat 40 to 14, That Rain Soaked October Afternoon In 1977, Mark Stands Up Out On The Field And Proclams, Pointing To The Stands At Curtis And States That His Nephew Is Going To Be An NFL Super Star!!!!
Our Teamates Object To Mark Saying This, How Could Mark Know This, ( I Knew What His One Sister Was Into And How Mark Knew, She Looked At Me As A Walking Dead Man At Only 15, But I Knew What Evil 😈 She Was Working With ) I Told Them If This Is Mark's Dream For His Nephew, Who Are We To Speak Against It, Let Mark Dream And Let's Watch And See What Happens
By High School At Pittsburgh's Taylor Alderdice High School, Curtis Martin Was Rewriting City League Of Pittsburgh Record Books And Coaches From The College Ranks Where Taking Notice!!!
Six 200 Yard Plus Games And Two 300 Yard Plus Games
Curtis Stayed Home And Went To The University Of Pittsburgh
And He Continued At Pitt, As He Did In High School, Likely The Best Running Back Out Of Pitt Since Tony Dorsett
But There Are Some Very Striking Similarities Between Curtis And Lawrence Phillips
But Curtis Had People who Loved Him From The Beginning Until This Day
And Lawrence Phillips Did Not, Curtis Had People To Show Him Right From Wrong And How To Carry Himself
Lawrence Phillips Did Not Have That In His First 16 Years Of Life, He Had Abuse, No Love, No Direction And A Institutional ized Lifestyle
A Formula Not Geared For Success!
There Are Millions Of Lawrence Phillips In Our Society Today
And When They Act Out, They Are Deemed Bad People
But We Must See, That They Are Badly Damaged People, Who Have Done Bad Things Acting Out The Pain Of Thier Emotions, Because They Are Not Emotionally Mature Enough In Thier Brokenness To Handle Situations Of Emotional Distress They Find Themselves In
It Does Not Give A Person A FREE Pass At Doing Something That's Wrong, But Must Realize That This Person Does Not Have The Growth And Social/Emotional Skill To Deal With Things In A Acceptable Way
And It's Not Making An Excuse, It's True Fact!!!
But The Law And Order People Will Beat Thier Chests And Throw People Like Lawrence Phillips Away And Completely Destroy Them
Which Is Just What Was Done To Lawrence Phillips!
We Have To Reach Out And Save Our People And Our Selves From Being Destroyed
Read 1st Peter 5:8, Because This Is What Happened To Lawrence Phillips And Millions Like Him!!!!
Miss Anita And The Drummond Gamg Said Hi Brother Flem, Keep Doin' What You Do, My Brother !
We Love You!❤💯💣
Respectfully
Rob Bell 🔔
With
Love Lawrence. I’m from Nebraska. Was so proud to have him. Anytime he messed up, I wished him the strength to grow. When he passed, it broke my heart. I wish him peace. Beautiful documentary, the empathy and sympathy expressed at least gives a balanced insight. Thank you. The 30 for 30 documentary also adds insight. The woman he went to prison over actually supports him in the documentary, even after everything he did to her. I wish him eternal peace.
Usually woman beaters always stick together.
He's rotting in hell, so wishing him peace is irrelevant
Man as a long time Nebraska fan this hits home one of my favorite all time huskers such a tragic story
LP is one of the saddest and most divisive stories in Husker history. A lot of people still hate Tom Osborne for letting him stick around. Personally, I think TO believed that football helped keep him out of trouble, so the decision was made with good intentions and not done just to win a championship. Still, it’s one of those calls that I don’t think I would’ve been able to make
Glad you looked at the impact of mental/emotional abuse in his story. We don't give that enough attention, especially in young boys who get told to "toughen up" or "just get over it" instead of actually processing and healing the damage. How do you expect a young man to be stable when his dignity and self-worth were taken away from him as a child by those who were supposed to guide him?
100% 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Can say with 100% certainty that Dick Vermeil was genuine when he says it haunts him that he let Lawrence Phillips go even after the struggles. While there were a lot of stories from the Rams era where they said he was too demanding early on in the training camps and set guys in to get Vermeil fired from his job or at the minimum reduced training regimens and less two-a-day's, when they finally showed on field performances all that dropped, and several players who had personal issues or even a bad day recounted stories in which he would show up at their house that evening just wanting to let them air out their problems and talk about life in general for hours on end. So when Lawrence Phillips comes along he had hopes that he could help a young man with some inner turmoil from years of poor situations, neglect, and abuse and get the man in a positive mental place, and unlike many of those whom he had found that place for he just couldn't help Lawrence because of the lack of a solid foundation mentally. Just wanted to share that bit on vermeil, though it's likely a lot of stories will surface to support it now that he just got his HOF election.
like many i don't think it makes some things he (Lawrence Phillips) did forgivable, but it makes it easy to understand why he lacked emotional control given how rough he had it.
Not his fault. The outcome would have been the same.
This might be the first Flemlo video I’ll have to put on hold for a bit. My depression will not make it through this one. Been here from the beginning bro and man, sitting back and thinking, you knocked this one out the park all I haven’t made it passed wayne yet.
The tone, the music, you can feel this video). Incredible man, you a goat In this genre. This one seems so heavy and you painted that picture too vivid. I applaud you.
I followed Lawrence's downfall for 20+ years and thought I knew everything about his situation, but you still managed to inform and entertain.
Man I never knew about his mom basically abandoning him and having one of her lovers pee on him. I would be that angry, vengeful and messed up too if something like that happened to me.
@@silverback7675 that’s some of the most demoralizing shit. One of those things that most people would come out fed up
Ditto
@@silverback7675 That's gotta be up there with he most degrading things a person can experience so you can totally understand how he went off the depend from there and lacked any sort of impulse control, it's why you always should protect and look after kids because mistreatment could result in them becoming lost in our society
@@silverback7675 parents gotta be so careful with how they conduct themselves and who they let around their kids because those scars do not heal
I don't understand how you don't have billions of followers. You are the best storyteller on RUclips. You dig up so much information on these guys. It's amazing! Keep up the great work. I love your channel.
i remember Lawrence Phillips in college. What a talent. I never knew his early life was so tragic. Very sad, he needed help, but at the time there was an even stronger stigma surrounding mental illness/substance abuse than now.
Glad I discovered you. Your family puts you on a path that is almost impossible to escape. Your empathy and understanding is admirable and impressive.
This one was nuts. I remember seeing Dick Vermeil's face after he cut him. It was like he released his own son.
Vermeil is one of the most compassionate coaches I've ever seen. Man is 100% behind his players, and wants to support them as much as possible.
I grew up in Omaha. I went to high school with almost 1/3 of the guys on the depth chart with #1 Phillips... Including Tony Veland, Damon Benning, Matt Aden, Clinton Childs, Ahman Green ... and on and on... but I was never committed to Husker fandom in the way you, Flem, commit to Bengals fandom despite not having a regional or local connection to them. Tom Osborne leaving the sidelines and the tragedy of Lawrence Phillips amid the GLORY of NCAA football dominance that was the Nebraska Cornhuskers during my school years ... is a legendary memory ... I have wonderful stories to regale about those years of college football. University of Nebraska at Lincoln shall NEVER reach such heights again.
Bro, you have a gift for explaining the other side of the story and show it's okay to pity someone while still holding them accountable.
Good luck on Sunday. I'll be pulling for y'all.
Flemlo I played with LP and that was my brother - as we transitioned through life i had a feeling it would not end well- some people are not reachable that doesn’t mean you don’t try especially if you love and care for them- unfortunately his tragedy started early and once that was ingrained in him the fear the distrust the anger it was over - RIP LP
15:04
......this will never sit right with me.
This whole story was heartbreaking, and how you narrate it is absolutely amazing. Like seriously Flem, your are a true, honest to God, king. Props to you man. And as a Steelers fan, I will say this once.
WHO DEY!
Bruh, I’ve been watching your channel for a couple years now. I absolutely love your content and you are a very gifted storyteller and orator. I really like going back through these older videos though cause I swear, homie, your older style of narration? It’s like a form of long form poetry or some shit lol. I’m just saying, some of the ways you chose to illustrate things, it can make me feel like I’m watching/listening to a performance akin to live poetry, motivational speaking, or something similar to that.
It’s also always so incredible to me how empathetic and compassionate you are with your main character focuses. Often they aren’t the most redeemable people or they are just hard to forgive/understand/etc.
But as someone who’s gone through a lot of regrettable shit, and things most people would never understand, you know how to unravel the complexities of life and the things most people don’t realize can happen to anyone.
Thank you so much homie. I appreciate you and all your hard work. Keep doing what you know you were meant to do, cause it’s not just me that you have inspired and helped. Much love
40 mins goes by so fast with flemo’s story telling skills
Damn. You’re telling me. As soon as I read your comment it was like 38 minutes in the video. Thats crazy.
He was not working on his justified dislike for his mother. So he punished every woman that came into his life.
Phillips, Clarett, my classmate Rae Carruth.. its sad. And Raes mom is the sweetest lady in the world NO FCCN CAP, still in contact with her today.. Havent heard from Rae, but Ms. Theo is a Saint
Rae is human trash. What he did is unforgivable.
I went to Michigan State and went to that game you mentioned. Nebraska put up over 500 rushing yards if memory serves. As a Spartan the game was so deflating. That team also had another amazing RB named Ahman Green who also ran wild on us.
Memories... (bleh!)
As someone who struggles with anger issues, this story broke my heart. It shows me how bad it can get, but also throw things into perspective. It’s hard to just let things go and move on when it’s ingrained into you for so long. And for many, it’ll take their entire lives to figure it out. Others might never get to do the same. For me, it’s a journey that feels like being stuck in one place while the rest of the world moves. But this is sobering, for lack of a better word. I have to be better as a person, as a man, and as someone who still has time.
I’m from the area where Lawrence Phillips grew up in. The city right over. I’m met a lot of coaches and people who remember and loved him. It was a sad day out here when he died and it brought the Baldwin Park community together. Tragic life.
This is why I love your talent at storytelling. Illustrating such a troubled past and showing all sides of the story in an eloquent way. You have a gift for storytelling man fr. One helluva video and keep up the great work this was beautiful
In my experience, beating PTSD is only a matter of remembering what it felt like to be that child, on the receiving end of abuse. It's the key to beginning the healing, to keep from passing it on to next generations... To find your young heart, again. He's being what he's been "trained up to be."... Programmed to it. However, he definitely has the inner strength to change, dramatically! He only needs that moment, to feeeeeel it. It will enrage him, that he became the whole, of parts, of every bad "parent influence" he endured; and, hell become driven, to break those chains, and to rip it out of himself, because it's not who he really is... A treasure, buried in the mire of a hard life. The football is a place for burning off the frustrations.
As a Nebraska fan, looking at his tape, Lawrence Phillips was the most talented running back I've ever seen play for the Scarlet and Cream. His story breaks my heart. (And for those of you wondering, yes it is THAT Scott Frost in the story)
Agreed, best huskers running back I’ve ever seen. Ray Lewis said he was best running back he ever faced. That says a lot.
@@tomhansen8529💯
Flemlo, you are by far the best at bringing what you bring. The realism, and heart that you are able to present is genuine and that is what sets you and your channel apart. God bless you brother!
Dick Vermeil was one of the greatest NFL Coaches of all time. He actually cared about players ahead of the all mighty $.
What a sad story but told so well. Thank you, Flemlo
Congrats on your Bengals going to the SB. This story is just too tragic just what Lawrence Phillips went through in his life. No person should experience the many hardships he went through.
Thank you for one of the most impactful videos. It spoke to me very deeply as I recently lost a cousin and he was a broken man that hurts no more.
Dude you absolutely crush this, Phillips was always a fascinating draft bust. I’d love to see a long form one on Demetrious Underwood With your nuanced approach
Man props on the way you are heavy on the fact "This was ALL before he was 10yrs old"
What a sad and painful story. This was a talented man that couldn't escape his demons. If he would've gotten the help, he could've easily been one of the greatest running backs of all time
Facts LP had HOF potential written all over. However, like you said he couldn't escape his demons and he should've got help before he started receiving a lot of notoriety
@@sjnorthmusic Yeah. But I do understand that he grew up with people literally hating him like pure evil. This is one of the saddest stories ever and it's good that FlemLo Raps made this video because now everyone can see what led him to the dark path that he chose
@@cincinnatibengalsfan9194 Word bro
I wasn't even gonna watch this video 'cause I've never heard of Lawrence Phillips but I let the que play and you had me hooked. The way you tell these stories is addicting. You're definitely the best at it on my RUclips feed. I appreciate ya, bro.
This is just....I have no words. Absolutely heartbreaking. Anyway, I'll be pulling for your Bengals this Sunday.
I grew up in Nebraska and was obviously a huge Huskers fan. Lawrence Phillips was one of the most talented college running backs ever. It was so much fun watching him play and dominate as a RB. His life is such a sad and tragic story. I have nothing but sympathy for him. He’ll be one of the most “what could have been” athletes of all time. Can’t make excuses for his life decisions but you can understand why based off all the trauma he experienced as a child. Such a sad sad sad and tragic story 😢 Rest In Peace LP.
Another gem from my boy Flemlo. Always a well researched and elaborate breakdown of the situation. Nobody else does it like you man, keep em coming and we'll keep on watching.
EXACTLY.... PROPS @FLEMLO
Thanks so much for making ths video bro. Damn this brings me back. I remember Lawrence. He was one of my favorite players in CF. He tortured Florida in the Championship back in 96' as well as every other opponent. I Laugh at how no one gave Nebraska a chance in that game. It's very tragic how rough this man's life was yet he still succeeded to a great degree.
The world and its people need LOVE Flemlo, badly (from Baltimore). This was the most emotionally wrenching video I've seen of yours. I gotta say man the level of investigative journalism is totally on a whole another level, props to you on that sir
this is so sad. really sad.
when people say ‘kids are resilient’ please pop that person in the head for they know not what they speak.
please treat your kids like the gold that they are … in the end, it’s better for everyone. 💔
I was hoping you would mention he's high school, in Baldwin Park High School. His picture and name is big in our town even though his past was bad. We still have his picture in our hall of fame, we know he had a hard life. I appreciate you doing a biography on him .
Lawrence Phillips and i both suffered from alot of the same things, I grew up with my blood ofc but I was neglected and bullied in school n all in so many ways n a big reason why I was bullied was bc I had a stroke in the uterus bc my sister’s father hit my mom while she was pregnant which gave me alot of disabilities and my big one js that I’m a seizure patient and till this day when something goes wrong that’s all I can think about and go into defensive mode and beat myself up from the inside, my own mother even tho Ik she meant well raising me, she neglected me when I needed her most, when I needed her to take my side and believe me that my sister’s hate me and etc n bc she was too worried about trying to be their friend and not their parent, my step father was the only one who I had to talk to and I loved that man to death, without him my voice was never heard until he passed in 2019 but at the end of the day no one will understand what I go through on a day to day basis bc when I explain myself I sound like I’m on drugs, I tried to commit suicide bc I do not fit in this world, I feel like I do not belong in this body at times and it’s just a really weird feeling that never goes away, just like Lawrence my base was never there and I never got to experience how it feels to be pain free not once in my life and I cry at night sometimes just thinking about what I could have accomplished if I had a full brain or if my nerve damage that caused my left leg to have partial paralysis in my left leg or if my back wasn’t as bad as it is. It’s hard bc my own wife doesn’t understand what pain I go through on a good day bc with 24 years on this earth I learned how to smile through the pain & hopelessness and get this one…my sons birthday was yesterday and I’m still waiting for my family to call me so they can wish him a happy birthday but not even his grandmother can wish him a happy birthday not even a text. But mind you I used to give my family every dime I had to the point where instead of moving out of my moms house as soon as my wife n i got engaged I decided to try and help my family get on their feet and was spit on by them. I didn’t mean to write this much buhh listening to this story even tho it’s not completely the same, I still suffer n feel abandoned and the beast of anger I have in me just waits to come out when I feel attacked which is almost a lot , all I ever wanted was to be loved by my blood
Dang man really pissed on his Step son that’s some messed up stuff that would haunt him with the lack of father figure to teach him right from wrong and look up to
I remember when I first came across your channel. I binge watched the whole day and shared your link with quite a few people. Love your channel man and congrats on your Bengals making it to the super bowl even after knocking out my Titans. ... J
I did not realized he had such a troubled childhood. I wish he got help while at UN or when he was with the Rams. May he Rest In Peace 😢
I know this is old, but I'm just now seeing it, and it brought me to tears several times while watching it.
Bro, you are one of the best storytellers on RUclips. Thanks for the great work. This, is the most tragic and moving yet.
You do a fantastic job of presenting the details to the best of your ability, while acknowledging the sadness, tragedy for all involved, while being respectful to all sides.
Thanks again for the work you do.
Flemlo, thanks for what you do. You help me get past my bias where I write people off as, "another ungrateful thug," and help me understand the challenges that POC face every day in the country. Thanks so much.
I met him in a bar in Vegas. This was the Early 2000's. One of the guys I was with had gone to school at Nebraska with him and knew him. He was pretty cool in person. Sad that his life ended up being so tragic.
FlemYooooooo! These production values are through the roof!! Great to see a RUclips channel I follow for a long time continue to get better and better to the point it looks studio made.
This story more than any of the ones I've heard so far on this channel, breaks my heart. 🥺
You have a gift for telling these stories...its appreciated
Flemlo, this was beautifully done. The care and compassion you crafted this video with is absolutely extraordinary. I'm ashamed to admit that my familiarity with the headlines of his story wouldn't allow me to be empathetic to his plight. This video changed that. Dramatically. Thank you.
He was crazy good on Madden '98 when he played for the Rams. They made him ridiculously good, like Bo Jackson good before he had played a snap in the NFL.
Incredible video FlemLo Raps. I had forgotten about this guy. It’s just so damn sad.
I appreciate you taking your time and getting the whole story straight. RIP to this poor soul. 😔
Editing keeps getting better and better! Preciate the great content and, the message! Thank ya sir!!
Thanks for doing this video to bring to light Lawrence Phillips real story. Until I watched this video I had a very negative opinion about this man thinking he wasted his talents and threw his life away. My opinion of him, thanks to you is completely 100% changed.
Heart breaking story I remember him at Nebraska all so well. An incredible running back he was, it's sad the trauma that he endured.
Kudos, Flemlo. I have been watching your videos almost since the beginning and although you are producing less content lately, this deep was incredible. I think many college football fans will know some of Phillips' story, but you dug deeper while also still also finding balance and nuance in his story. When the story first broke, I was also skeptical because of the penmanship of his prison letters as you so astutely pointed out. Thanks again. Nebraska teammate Jason peters would also be another great deep dive.
FlemLo you are the man. Well done. The parents are to be blamed for Phillip's disastrous life. I am reminded how good I had it as a kid.
This story is just tragic all around wow... Salute Flem for the excellent storytelling
Flemlo,
Your ability to narrate a story is beyond amazing. In my humble opinion, this will always be one of the saddest stories in football.
Man this was a tough one to watch. Shedded a tear about the story of how his life ended in the cell. What a tragic story to say the least.
Great work as always FlemLo! 🙏🏾
The day before, he was indicted on capital murder where prosecutors were seeking death for killing his cellmate.
This has been happening to one of my uncles good friends a very tough but loving dude, when I was younger me and my little brother enjoyed his company. Somewhere I feel this same pattern happened RIP Lawrence
Always blown away by your production and storytelling FlemLo! Another incredible video!!!
Wanted to say that I am a big fan of your videos. You are wicked talented when it comes to story telling. Extremely well spoken and your use of metaphors and your ability to decypher and interpret the overall theme or message is always spot on. Keep up the solid work buddy I recognize the amount of work that goes into these videos and appreciate the product that you produce!
Yet another quality video. Thank you for the work that you put into each one to continuously deliver informative content that also contains the "personal touch" that a lot of other channels lack.
Unrelated to this video, I also wanted to say how happy that I am for you to be able to enjoy the season that your Bengals have had this year. Growing up in the Green Bay, WI area during pre-Favre times, I can understand how rewarding it is to see a team that you've supported for so long turn a stretch of seasons that were painful to watch around. Hearing your story and passion for Cincinnati was infectious, and I found myself rooting for them as well (except WEEK 5, of course). My wife, 8 year old son, and myself all bleed Green and Gold, but as soon as the 49'ers ended our season (yet again), we have all been yelling "WHO DEY?!" and I'm hoping to see an upload within the next week where you are celebrating a storybook season where the underdogs proved all of the doubters wrong and are finally bringing the Lombardi Trophy home to Cincinnati.
That said, thank you again. Please keep releasing great content, and I'll keep avidly watching.
Waoh this hit home 😢
The trauma the one suffers from childhood is irreparable.
Lawrence Phillips was one of my favorite running backs. Thank you for telling this story! I've always heard bit and pieces of it but your story definitely opened up my eyes to what this man went thru as a child and then as an adult. I worked with at risk youth and seen very similar upbringings in alot of the kids I worked with that had been abused physically, mentally and emotionally. This is definitely a sad story of what could have been. Thank you for this one Flomlo💯
You are very good, I enjoy listening to you, you have what it takes to succeed in this field.
Maaan. Flem never misses ✅ Another gripping documentary. A sad story indeed. He had a ton of potential but couldn't put all the pieces together for one reason or another.
I wish ThexNFL network would take note of this channel. Some how I woukd live to see stories like these at the draft, Superbowl, or part of a Sunday game. The stories told her need to be looked at on a bigger stage. I accidentally stumbled across this channel a couple years ago and love it. I am not a huge sports fan, just an average fan, but love the in depth stories presented here, I know there is a lot of hard work and love of the spirt to put them out. Keep up all the hard work, man, you deserve all the praise you get in the comments, live your channel.
This is the first time I have ever liked a video prior to watching it! When you can make someone feel like we have been boys for years without even meeting that person, that in my opinion is expert level mastery of your craft!
Best Lawrence Phillips vid on youtube. I do not watch NFL or College football but cant stop watching FlemLo. His story telling is incredible