Memorial held for Lawrence Phillips in San Dimas

Many of Phillips' former teammates, coaches and friends attended the service. 

On Friday, Attorney Jesse Whitten said that the events leading to his client's death may have started with a gang battle involving the Crips at the Kern Valley Prison.

Philips came a long way from Little Rock, Arkansas ---

Phillips was the oldest of two children - and he and his family moved to Inglewood, California by the time he was two.

And by age five - Philips had decided that he wanted to play football professionally.

Former NFL player Lawrence Phillips laid to rest today. #LawrencePhillips @23ABCNews pic.twitter.com/zAoyxKipaC

— Alicia Pattillo (@aliciapattillo) January 23, 2016

He graduated to be a stand-out talent for the University Of Nebraska - winning two NCAA championships and was a first round draft pick for the NFL.

However in 2008 - Philips fell on hard times and was charged for assaulting his former girlfriend and attempting to run over multiple teenagers.

Already serving a 31 year sentence ---last April, Philips was then suspected of killing his cell mate at Kern Valley Prison and following his preliminary hearing earlier this month a local judge agreed that there was  now enough evidence to try him for murder.

But in a bizarre twist of events that same night, Philips was found unresponsive in his cell  and he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Autopsy results revealed that the cause of his death was suicide.

However, those close to Philips do not believe he took his own life.

On Saturday, his loved ones said goodbye to one of the most talented athletes they had ever known. 

Those that were there chose only to reflect on the side of Philips that the world did not know.

Phillips' body will be laid to rest sometime this week.