Former National Football League player Phillip Adams exhibited “unusual behavior” and signs consistent with “mental illness” before police said he killed a prominent doctor and his family in South Carolina.
Adams, who played professional football on multiple teams from 2010 to 2015, allegedly killed Dr. Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara Lesslie; their two grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie; and James Lewis, an air conditioning technician who was working at the residence at the time, according to law enforcement.
Adams allegedly shot himself at the home of his parents, which was a short distance away from Robert Lesslie’s residence, before he could be apprehended by authorities.
His sister, Lauren Adams, said her brother’s mental health quickly degraded after his time on the field came to an end.
“His mental health degraded fast and terribly bad,’’ Adams told USA Today. “There was unusual behavior. I’m not going to get into all that (symptoms). We definitely did notice signs of mental illness that was extremely concerning; that was not like we had ever seen.”
She continued: “In conversations, it would escalate to arguments. Normally it would just be a normal conversation. His temperament had changed where he was super laid back forever, and all of the sudden, he had that temper. You could just tell that something was off.”
FORMER NFL PLAYER KILLED FIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA HOME BEFORE TAKING HIS OWN LIFE: POLICE
“Football messed him up,” said his father, Alonzo Adams.
“Well, I can say that he’s a good kid, he was a good kid, and I think the football messed him up,” he said in an interview. “I don’t think he ever did anybody any time. All I can tell you, we pray for the families.”
Dr. Robert Lesslie was his physician “a long time ago” and that the victims were “good people,” Alonzo Adams said.
The former football player had a disdain for the sport after he retired the uniform, his sister said, adding that “if we were watching it, he would leave the room or ask us to turn it off.”
The victims of the Thursday massacre released a statement that was read by Sheriff Kevin Tolson during a press briefing.
“We would like to address the outpouring of heartbreak, shock, grief, and support from our family, friends, and community,” the statement read. “We are truly in the midst of the unimaginable. The losses we are suffering can not be uttered at this time. While we know there are no answers that could satisfy the question as to ‘why,’ we are sure of one thing; we do not grieve as those without hope. Our hope is found in the promise of Jesus Christ, and we are enveloped in peace that surpasses all understanding.”
Trent Faris, a spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office, knew Robert Lesslie and said he was his childhood doctor.
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“Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up,” Faris said. “Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill, and it’s been a staple in Rock Hill for years.”
Phillip Adams, who had criminal charges from 2016 pending against him, played for a number of teams, including the Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and the New York Jets, from 2010 to 2015 as a defensive back.
