Ex-Fish Phillips On Probation

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 13, 1999 / 10:06 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Lawrence Phillips, whose troubles with the law have plagued his football career,has been sentenced to six months probation stemming from a nightclub confrontation with a woman in June.

Phillips had pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge for twice striking and threatening Michelle Black at a Plantation nightclub.

Brossard County Judge Leonard Fernier also ordered Phillips on Friday to pay $1,352 restitution in medical bills for Black.

Under terms of the plea deal, Phillips does not have to report to a probation officer, but he can be jailed if he is arrested. He must pay $192 in court costs and stay away from Black.

The woman told police Phillips approached her and asked her to dance. When she declined, he allegedly said, "Do you know who I am? You don't know me?"

Black, 26, told police Phillips, then with the Miami Dolphins, threatened to break her jaw, then punched her in the face. The blow chipped her front tooth and cut her lower lip.

Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson cut Phillips three weeks later.

Phillips, 23, has had several brushes with the law, most notably when he attended the University of Nebraska. He was arrested and charged with domestic violence for beating his ex-girlfriend and sentenced to probation.

The St. Louis Rams chose Phillips as the sixth overall pick of the 1996 draft, but he was arrested three times and spent 23 days in jail during 19 months with the team.