Former USC DB Kevin Ellison, who plays for the Arena League’s Spokane Shock, set his residence in the state of Washington on fire with a marijuana cigar because God told him to do so, according to The Spokesman-Review, which cited authorities on Thursday.
The report said that Ellison, 25, first told investigators that he was smoking in bed, suggesting an accidental blaze, but Spokane Valley Fire Marshal Kevin Miller said evidence didn’t match Ellison’s claim.
Ellison went to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, the report said. The Spokesman-Review also reported that he had to jump from his burning third-floor apartment at the Big Trout Lodge complex.
Citing Spokane Valley Deputy Fire Marshal Clifton Mehaffey, the report said that Ellison said at the hospital that the blaze was started “because ‘God’ had told him to set the bed on fire.” He reportedly now faces a federal arson charge.
A sixth-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 2009, Ellison played for the team that season but was released in May of 2010 after a drug arrest – for which the charges were later dropped – before catching on in the Arena League. Kevin Ellison profile
