Jets Show Interest In Phillips With First Overall Pick In Nfl Draft, Team Ponders Controversial Player

His agent, Mitch Frankel, claims controversial Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips has nothing to hide. But Phillips ducked out a back entrance of Weeb Ewbank Hall at 3:03 p.m. after a 4-1/2 hour meeting with the Jets on Tuesday.

“This is ridiculous,” his driver said about the game of hide-and-seek as several reporters and two TV crews waited for Phillips to emerge. When he did, Phillips - wearing a Jets cap to protect his head from the snow - was peppered with questions, walked quickly to the car and said nothing.

“Once Phillips settled into the back seat, Frankel shouted, “Shut the door!”

And off they went, headed for New Jersey for an interview late Tuesday with the Giants.

But the Jets hold all the cards in the April 20 draft. With the No. 1 pick overall for the first time, are they really prepared to set off a potential firestorm by choosing Phillips? Last September, Phillips pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and trespassing charges in connection with the Sept. 10 beating of his former girlfriend. He is on probation until November; he was suspended for six games by Nebraska coach Tom Osborne.

Perhaps the Jets are simply milking the pick for all its worth, appearing genuinely interested in Phillips to dupe another team into a trade. The Baltimore Ravens, picking fourth, are said to covet Phillips. So are the St. Louis Rams, who own the sixth and 13th picks in the first round.

Whatever the case, USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson clearly no longer is the no-brainer choice he once seemed. Phillips is very much in the mix, even if he’s just being used as a bluff or as a negotiating tool with Johnson.

But don’t the Jets have to be sensitive to the potential backlash should they actually take Phillips? Well, they are beginning to sound as if they buy into the notion this was an “isolated incident in his life,” as Frankel calls it, even though he has a history of violent behavior, including a one-game suspension his freshman year for fighting.

“We don’t want to do an injustice to Lawrence Phillips because of what might or might not happen,” Jets personnel director Dick Haley said.

“It was obviously something that had to be investigated, but if (a reaction) isn’t justified, then we want to do the right thing for him and for us.”

When someone asked Haley if Johnson had a “downside,” he replied: “I don’t believe so.” But he quickly added, “I don’t believe there’s a downside to Lawrence Phillips.

“You just have to clear that picture up for yourself, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing.”

Coach Rich Kotite says, “Every team would love to have a marquee running back.”

His impressions of Phillips?

“He’s a very nice young man, intelligent, easygoing,” Kotite said. “He gave me a good impression. I think he felt relaxed and comfortable, and I know I did. If we didn’t feel he was a player who warranted being picked in the first round, we wouldn’t have him in here.”

Kotite knows Phillips is undergoing counseling. “He’s trying to be the best person he can be,” Frankel said.

Millions of dollars are at stake. A year ago the Jets shied away from Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp in the first round because of several positive drug tests. But they did take a chance on signing guard Carlton Haselrig last summer, only to get burned when he failed another drug test and was suspended by the NFL for a year.

But Phillips is different from Sapp, according to Haley. “Lawrence Phillips is something that was a one-time happening,” he said.

“We have to resolve it and get our final assessment of that situation. So far, Lawrence Phillips has done everything we’ve asked him to do, and we’ve spent a lot of time with him, and we feel pretty good about what’s happened.”

The Jets plan to bring in 10-12 first-round prospects by Friday. Johnson and Michigan running back Tim Biakabutuka visited last week. Joining Phillips Tuesday were Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George and California defensive end Duane Clemons.

Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy is expected Thursday. Oh, and the Jets even found time to work out veteran quarterback Matt Blundin on Tuesday.