Mother of 3-year-old football player hits out after police called over him 'being too good'
The mother of a three-year-old boy has spoken out after claiming he was removed from a football game for being 'too good'.
Little Nevada Pierre was at the centre of a dispute between league officials that erupted during a game at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Winter Park, Florida, on Saturday (24 October).
Police body camera footage of the confrontation has since gone viral after officers from the local department were drafted in.
In a new statement, his mother Martasia Griffin has claimed that during the i9 Sports game, her son went through an experience 'no should should have to endure'.
Advert
She claimed he had been removed from the game because of 'concerns about his skill level', and the situation then escalated to the point where police were called.
"Nevada could not understand why he was being taken away from a game he loved," she said. "What should have been a happy childhood moment became heartbreaking and distressing for him and deeply painful for our family to witness."
She made the comments on a public GoFundMe which has since raised over $20,000 to help support Nevada in his love of soccer.
"As his mother, it has been incredibly hard to see the emotional impact this has had on him," she added.
"We believe every child, regardless of abilities, background, or potential, deserves the chance to learn, grow, and enjoy the game they love in a safe and supportive environment."
The incident went viral over the weekend after Nevada's parents had uploaded a video showing police meeting them at the sidelines at a game.
“Nevada was escorted out by the police for being the best three-year-old in the world today,” they captioned the video and made claims that 'they' called the police on him because 'he's too good' and 'had the ball for too long and nobody else can get the ball, so they called the police on him.'
They then further claimed that the league kicked him out for the same reason. However, conflicted reports had suggested it could be because the parents had been recording and streaming his games on TikTok.
Police reveal new details of incident
In an update, it was confirmed that the Winter Park Police Department (WPPD) actually responded to a disturbance involving a league official and Nevada’s parents.
The league had requested that the family leave and offered to refund them for the cost of participating in the league, police have now said.
After officers arrived, a league official requested that the officers 'communicate with the family' as 'he did not want to further a disturbance.' The confrontation was revealed in bodycam footage.
In the footage, a league official can be heard saying: “He’s very advanced compared to the other ones. So, he’s scoring a lot of goals, but he’s pushing the kids and doing all that stuff, so I try to tell him, ‘Hey, stop. Don’t… push. We want to play without pushing, right?’”
He went on to explain that he had rotated the children during previous games to give everyone a chance to play, but claimed the child’s parents objected to the decision, causing the dispute.
WPPD said the family 'was cooperative with the officers' and that it was described as a 'civil matter,' and no arrests were made.
A statement read: "The Winter Park Police Department was contacted by a soccer league official who requested response to a disturbance between league officials and the parents of a player.
"The league requested the family leave and offered to refund the league cost to family. Shortly after arrival, the officers were requested by the league official to communicate with the family as he did not want to further a disturbance.
"The family stated the game was over and they were leaving. The family was cooperative with the officers and were provided with an event number for the incident at their request. The incident was a civil matter between those parties and not criminal. No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park. The Officers body worn cameras confirm the above information."
Sports league issues statement
Meanwhile, in a statement to LADbible, Katherine LeBlanc from i9 Sports said that they would be communicating with Nevada's family and are taking the incident 'seriously'.
A statement read: "We are aware of concerns being shared regarding an incident at a local i9 Sports program, and we take them very seriously.
"The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us. We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved.
"While we work to understand the circumstances, we will not speculate or share unverified information. We appreciate everyone who has brought their concerns to our attention."
James Holt