The very tragic life of a once superstar athlete has come to an end.

Former Huskers running back Lawrence Phillips was found dead in his prison cell in California.

He was found Wednesday morning at Kern Valley State Prison and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton told USA TODAY Sports of the news.

According to a press release from the department, the death is being investigated as a suspected suicide at this point.

Lawrence Phillips was currently facing the possible death penalty in the alleged murder of his former cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison, in which many speculate was the result of Phillips fearing for his own life.

Phillips' former cellmate, Damion Soward, was found unresponsive April 11 in the cell the men shared and died as a result of strangulation, according to a coroner’s report.

Phillips was the star running back on one of the best teams in the history of college football with the University of Nebraska’s national championship teams in 1994 and 1995. After being the sixth pick in the draft, he played for three seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

In 2009, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison for two different incidents.

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