San Diego Chargers safety Kevin Ellison was arrested Monday in Redondo Beach, Calif., on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance after police stopped him for speeding in a school zone near his former high school.
Ellison's agent, Jerome Stanley, told *The San Diego Union-Tribune* on Tuesday that his client didn't realize the Vicodin he had in his center console was a controlled substance.
"He thought it was a good idea to get enough pain killers to last the season," Stanley said. "They were for him to use because of his knee surgery."
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Redondo Beach Sgt. Phil Keenan revealed to the newspaper that during the traffic stop, police officers "asked if it was OK to search, and he allowed them to search. That's when they found, in the center console, the 100 Vicodin."
Ellison, 23, was booked and released on $10,000 bail. He's due to appear in court in July.
Reached by The Associated Press, Redondo Beach Sgt. Peter Grimm said Ellison didn't have a prescription for the Vicodin, and even if he did, it was an unusually large amount of pills for a pharmacist to distribute.
"It's disappointing to hear about the issue involving Kevin Ellison," Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in a statement released by the team. "We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
