SC - 5 dead, inc. Dr Robert Lesslie & 2 children in shooting, Rock Hill, Apr 2021

[stmarysmead]

Well, he was 20 when he was arrested for the assault. Did that precede the NFL career? It seemed to have preceded the concussions.

 

[PrairieWind]

Well, he was 20 when he was arrested for the assault. Did that precede the NFL career? It seemed to have preceded the concussions.

I think he was still in college then. That he wasn't convicted tells me that wasn't a very big deal.

 

[scdiv]

Well, he was 20 when he was arrested for the assault. Did that precede the NFL career? It seemed to have preceded the concussions.

Yes.

 

[Gibbo214]

Yes.

Not unusual for young men to get into fisticuffs.

 

[stmarysmead]

There’s another man badly injured. One article said he was also there, working. I wonder about the type of anger that extends beyond the target to two small children and two individuals who have no connection to the grievance at all.

 

[PrairieWind]

There’s another man badly injured. One article said he was also there, working. I wonder about the type of anger that extends beyond the target to two small children and two individuals who have no connection to the grievance at all.

I think the extreme rage displayed here is a clue. I'd like to know why he had recently moved back in with his parents. Was he having financial trouble? Medical/mental issues? Addiction? The father came right out and said he thinks his football injuries are responsible. I'm just guessing, but I'll bet that is true, at least in part.

 

[MrsWatson]

Horrifying.

My sympathies to all of the affected. I bet everyone in town knew everyone involved. So tragic.

 

[scdiv]

Father on news channel WCNC Charlotte

That is really sad and hard to watch too.

 

[MimosaMornings]

So he just suddenly snapped and went down the street to massacre a family?!?

 

[PrairieWind]

Father on news channel WCNC Charlotte

That is really sad and hard to watch too.

I always feel terrible for family members (parents or children) of killers. They are left to deal with feelings of guilt and shame and maybe ridicule, while at the same time trying to deal with their own grief at the loss of their loved one. Even though Phillip did a terrible thing, for this guy, he will still always be his son. I'm sure he loved him very much.

 

[Cryptic]

Just as background, the minimum salary was about half that ten years ago, but you are absolutely right that he would have earned enough to have a nice quality of life - had he saved and budgeted, etc.

The problem is that the majority of these players, especially lower end roster guys often squander it away like they are making Tom Brady money or like a veteran on his second contract.

They are young guys making more money than they often grew up with and have no idea how to handle. Everyone and their mama has a hand out wanting a house or bills paid.

Thanks for the great insights. Your insights really bring the mathematical numbers of earnings potential into a real life focus that shows that it is not just about the numbers. The collective experience of this forum is amazing!

As a side note, my wife and I knew a 6 seasons or so, moderate earnings (by NFL standards) type player who landed in San Diego after finishing with the Chargers- long before the Chargers finished with San Diego.

He had budgeted during his NFL years - and had the personality and business skills to open a successful fitness center in a nice area. His house was paid for and his attractive and work minded wife (former collegiate athlete) directed the women's classes. They made a great couple.

As you pointed out, however, not every player has his total skill set and things can go downhill very fast after football ends.

 

[Cryptic]

I think he was still in college then. That he wasn't convicted tells me that wasn't a very big deal.

Our.... the charges were uhmm.... "reconsidered".

I imagine the ability of College teams to have this influence is declining in the face of social media which makes special considerations harder to obtain.

But... my guess is that police considerations of collegiate star athletes before social media could be more, well.... "discreet" in some cases.

SCDIV, any insights regarding how influential colleges were back then regarding wayward athletes and police matters?

 

[Cryptic]

So he just suddenly snapped and went down the street to massacre a family?!?

A very good point and a question well asked.

Concussions seem to be pretty common in NFL football. Yet, how many concussed NFL players wake up and massacre a family?

In the end, there are six victims in this terrible crime (five murdered, one wounded). Adams, NFL or not and concussed or not, is fully a perpetrator, not one of the victims.

 

[Considering]

WBTV carried a live news conference by the sheriff a short time ago. Very sad. A video of it can be seen here:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=771055906860474

 

[scdiv]

Our.... the charges were uhmm.... "reconsidered".

I imagine the ability of College teams to have this influence is declining in the face of social media which make special considerations harder to obtain.

But... my guess is that police considerations of collegiate star athletes before social media could be more, well.... "discreet" in some cases.

SCDIV, any insights regarding how influential colleges were back then regarding wayward athletes and police matters?

It's hard to say. I don't know that the colleges/football programs typically have that much influence over criminal/legal matters, but it's very possible that in college towns (and we are talking SEC football in the south here), you may (hypothetically of course, I have no knowledge of this case) have local law enforcement be diehard team fans and could they give preference, or overlook things or be a little more forgiving? It wouldn't surprise me. But that would be more realistic to me than say Steve Spurrier (the head football coach at the time) or school administrators wielding real influence over a police department. All imo.

What I will say is that NFL team scouts ABSOLUTELY have all info on what actually happened - the job of a good scout is to build those relationships with position coaches, strength coach, and they do their homework. I guarantee they vetted whatever happened as best as they could, maybe even had an off the record conversation with LE or the other people involved in the incident. Perhaps put a red flag on Adams as a "character guy." Which, in the NFL, particularly in 2010, isn't such a big deal. (Ray Lewis anyone?) The better the talent, the more character or problem child issues the teams are willing to overlook. The 49ers would have ultimately decided the player had enough "upside" as a late/7th round draft pick that the reward could potentially outweigh the risk. Even if Adams wasn't charged or the charges "went away" - trust me, the team that drafted him has the story on it. And didn't care.

As the GM of the Arizona Cardinals once said, "If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3, teams would diagnose him with an eating disorder."

 

[oceanblueeyes]

And how terrible for the worker, James Lewis, a young man at 38, who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time working on the house.

Ugh and those poor parents who lost both a parent and their children. Just horrific.

South Carolina shooting: Former NFL pro Phillip Adams killed 5, then himself, report says

What we know about Phillip Adams, gunman ID’d in SC mass shooting

He also tried his best to murder the other man who was simply there with the other gentleman working on their air conditioning system. The one who survived is in serious condition. I pray he pulls through.

How awful our world has become now.

It seems so many victims of late were well known in their communities as being very kind, and compassionate good people.

The murdering of the innocent adult victims are heart shattering within itself, but to know the murderer killed small children who were so innocent is almost too much to bear.

There seems to be so much violence in our nation now. So many cities are saturated in violence with no end in sight.

But it shows us all violence like this can erupt anywhere at any time even in what is normally a safe peaceful area.

The beloved doctor who was murdered spent his life helping others only to windup having his own life taken away in the most brutal way, and that of his loving family including his precious grandchildren rips my heart out for the surviving family members. It's terrible to have one beloved family member taken this way, but the murderer took every one there.

How anyone can be so cruel having the capability to kill any other human being much less kill little children still leaves me horrified after seeing these kind of senseless cases for over four decades. It never gets any easier nor do I get desensitized when any precious life is taken so brutally.

I'm so glad the family including the surviving family members have a very strong faith in God.

They will lean on Him in their time of great need for His neverending loving support in their time of great dispair.

God be with them all, and with all in their community who are also greatly hurting too.

Jmhoo

 

[scdiv]

A very good point and a question well asked.

Concussions seem to be pretty common in NFL football. Yet, how many concussed NFL players wake up and massacre a family?

In the end, there are six victims in this terrible crime (five murdered, one wounded). Adams, NFL or not and concussed or not, is fully a perpetrator, not one of the victims.

I wonder if they will study his brain. CTE currently can only be confirmed with a post-mortem autopsy.

 

[PrairieWind]

Oceanblueeyes, I agree that murder itself is horrible, but the killing of two innocent young children is just impossible to understand. This was a complete massacre. Why? Since he killed himself its possible we may never really know. I doubt the surviving HVAC worker knows anything. My understanding was that they were found by their work van, so I am guessing they were the first ones shot. The shooters father came out and said football "messed him up." So I assume they have info on his mental and physical state recently. But what triggered this horror? Its difficult to understand.

 

[PrairieWind]

I wonder if they will study his brain. CTE currently can only be confirmed with a post-mortem autopsy.

I'm sure that will be something that the pathologist looks for.

 

[scdiv]

Our Team - Riverview House Calls

Dr. Lesslie is board-certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He has also been specializing in occupational medicine and received his Master’s in Public Health in 1999 from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a certified Medical Review Officer for drug and alcohol testing and a Certified Medical Examiner for the Department of Transportation.

Could this be related in some way? Also in the press conference, they said that Adams received several traffic citations in February 2021. But in the press conference LE also said Adams was not a patient of the doctor's, conflicting with some news reports.