NFL player, former Sea Hawk Ellison arrested with Vicodin
Kevin Ellison.
Kevin Ellison, 23, was pulled over by Redondo Beach police at about 2:19 p.m. for allegedly speeding near his former high school. According to police, he consented to a search of his vehicle that subsequently turned up 100 tablets of Vicodin and led to his arrest.
“It’s a powerful narcotic and you’ve got to have prescription for it, which he did not have at the time of his arrest,” said RBPD Sgt. Peter Grimm. “It’s a controlled substance – there is a reason you have to have a prescription for it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have one.”
The arrest immediately attracted widespread media attention.
“He’s an athlete that made it to the NFL,” Grimm said. “It is what it is – it was just a regular, routine traffic stop, and unfortunately he didn’t have a prescription for these things. That’s the extent of it.”
Both Ellison and his older brother, Keith, are among the greatest athletes ever to emerge from Redondo Union. Kevin Ellison started nine games as a rookie last season for the Chargers, while Keith is a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills.
Kevin was a two-way starter as running back and linebacker at RUHS and was three-time league MVP. His senior season was arguably the greatest ever by a RUHS football player – he ran for 1,661 yards on 230 carries and scored 32 touchdowns. As a linebacker, Ellison made 115 tackles (10 for losses), five sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two interceptions (one for a touchdown). Playing for a school that fielded its first football team in 1915, Kevin set Redondo’s single-game and career rushing records. He rushed for 322 yards on 18 carries (17.9 avg.) in a single game, highlighting a senior year that saw him smash Redondo’s career rushing record with 3,718 yards.
“It’s special to me to hold the record,” Ellison said in an interview earlier this year for a Beach magazine profile. “There were a lot of great football players before me. I remember all the guys I played with and I think it was special for all of us….I can remember every high school game. It’s crazy. It was a great time.”
RUHS football coach Gene Simons, in the same article, recalled the Ellison brothers as much for their character as their accomplishments on the football field.
“The thing about Kevin and Keith, they are the classiest young men who ever played the game of football — from their demeanor to their humility,” Simons said. “They never had a big head. They’re just great people. I have nothing but good things to say about their entire family.
Ellison went on to star at USC, where he overcame three knee surgeries to earn first team all Pac-Ten honors as a safety his junior and senior seasons. His injuries scared many NFL scouts away, but the Chargers selected him in the sixth round of the NFL season and he emerged as the team’s starting safety midway through a championship-contending season last year.
Ellison’s family did not return calls seeking comment by press time. His agent, Jerome Stanley, told the San Diego Union Tribune that Ellison was unaware Vicodin was a controlled substance.
“He thought it was a good idea to get enough pain killers to last the season,” Ellison’s agent Jerome Stanley told the San Diego Union Tribune on Tuesday. “They were for him to use because of his knee surgery.”
Vicodin’s frequent use in the NFL has caused some addiction problems. Most famously, star quarterback Brett Favre acknowledged an addition to Vicodin earlier in his career with the Green Bay Packers. More recently, former Charger Ryan Leaf admitted to Vicodin addiction and, earlier this month, the Drug Enforcement Agency began investigation of the New Orleans Saints for alleged theft of Vicodin within the organization.
“I know it’s very addictive,” Sgt. Grimm said. “There is a reason it has to be doled out by a medical doctor. Unfortunately, [Ellison] didn’t have a prescription at the time of his arrest.”
The case has been handed over to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. A filing decision has not yet been made.
San Diego Charger’s general manager A.J. Smith issued a brief statement.
“It’s disappointing to hear about the issue involving Kevin Ellison,” Smith said. “We’ll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course.”
Ellison posted $10,000 bail and was released shortly after his arrest. He is scheduled to appear in Torrance Superior Court on July 7. ER
Easy Reader sports editor Randy Angel contributed to this story.