Monroe house fire kills former UGA football player and two others
A fire in Walton County killed two adults and a child early Sunday morning, including a former University of Georgia football player.
According to the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office, Quentin Omario Moses, 33, passed away while he was being taken to the hospital. Moses played three seasons for UGA before suiting up in the National Football League.
Andria Godard, 31, and her daughter Jasmine Godard, 10, were also killed in the fire.
#BREAKING: Former Georgia DE Quentin Moses dead. Officials confirm Moses was one of 3 people killed in early morning house fire in Monroe.
— Natalie Fultz FOX 5 (@NatalieFFOX5) February 12, 2017
Just after 6:00 a.m. Sunday, firefighters from the City of Monroe Fire Department arrived at the home on Shamrock Drive to find it fully engulfed in flames.
Officials investigating cause of fire that left 10 year old girl and two adults dead. Witnesses shared these photos with @FOX5Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/FrrweSMJkF
— Natalie Fultz FOX 5 (@NatalieFFOX5) February 12, 2017
Moses was the defensive line coach at Reinhardt University in Waleska.
“Quentin Moses was an integral part of our coaching staff, but more than that he was a person who believed in our student-athletes and worked hard every day to help each athlete perform at the highest level on the field and in the classroom,” said Reinhardt Head Football Coach James Miller in a statement to FOX 5. “We will miss his leadership, and I will miss his friendship.”
My heart and prayers go out to all of Q Moses’ family, friends, coaches, and teammates!
— Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) February 13, 2017
Moses recruited his former UGA teammate Greg Blue to join the Reinhardt coaching staff and the two became inseparable. Blue said they both had long commutes to and from work and would talk on the phone the whole drive.
“I’m still in shock. I think it’s going to hit me tomorrow morning when I wake up to go on that ride to work and he [doesn’t] pick up that phone call,” said Blue.
Coaches and former teammates said Moses had an infectious positivity in everything he did.
“He was our spark plug right there,” explained Blue. “When you were having that long day, that day you just don’t have it in [you], when you hear his voice you’d just pop back up.”
Reinhardt plans to hold a vigil to honor Moses on Tuesday.
City and state fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.