TMZ Sports has obtained the Lawrence Phillips 911 call -- in which a prison staffer tells the operator to send help because the ex-NFL star "has attempted suicide right now."
During the call, the staffer says he's in the dark about Lawrence's condition or how he tried to take his own life ... but says he was instructed by other Kern Valley State Prison staffers to call for an ambulance asap.
By the way, officials say the call came in to 911 at 12:14 AM -- 9 MINUTES after prison officials say they found Phillips unresponsive in his cell.