Mom of 3-Year-Old Soccer Player Speaks Out After Police Called Over Dispute Involving Her Son
Police in Florida were called in for a dispute involving a youth soccer league official and the parents of a 3-year-old child on Saturday, Oct. 24
The league official asked the family to leave after concerns about the child’s play and parents’ behavior, while the child’s mother denied the allegations
Police said no arrests were made, and i9 Sports has launched a review of the incident
Police were called to a youth soccer game following a dispute between league officials and the parents of 3-year-old player, Nevada Pierre.
The incident occurred during a game at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Winter Park, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 24, and police body camera footage of the confrontation has since gone viral.
The Winter Park Police Department (WPPD) said in a press release and police report that officers responded to a disturbance involving a league official and Nevada’s parents.
The league requested that the family leave and offered to refund them for the cost of participating in the league, police said. After officers arrived, a league official requested that the officers “communicate with the family” as “he did not want to further a disturbance.”
Police body cam footage released by WPPD showed the league official telling officers of the child: “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?’ ”
Nevada PierreCredit: gofundme
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 and called him “ignorant.” During the most recent game, he said that he asked the referees to remind the child not to push other players, and claimed that the parents then approached and created “a big scene” by arguing “with the other parents.”
He told officers that he wanted the boy’s parents “out immediately” and would get their names to issue them a refund.
In a second clip released by WPPD, officers could be seen informing the child’s parents, Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre. Martasia told police, “They’re mad at my son because he actually plays soccer.”
“So, I’m a little confused and I’m a little like, baffled because I signed my kids up for soccer,” she continued. “So, they literally kicking him out of this place because he’s good at soccer.”
In an Instagram post on Monday, Oct. 26, Griffin continued defending her son against the league official’s allegations that her son had been pushing other players. She shared a video of the full soccer game and captioned the post, “This is the full game no cut no edit where is the pushing ? ⚽️.”
Nevada has also received support from Robert Griffin III, who wrote in an Instagram post: “Punishing a 3 year old child for being too good at a sport is RIDICULOUS.”
YouTuber Ms. Rachel also addressed the incident, writing in an Instagram statement: “I’m LIVID! Please sports people give him all the experiences and love,” and extending an invitation for Nevada to appear on her show.
In a previous Instagram post over the weekend, Martasia shared footage of Nevada playing in a game with the caption, “The league kicked Nevada out because every week no one could take the ball from him some of the parents for the other team didn’t feel that it was fair mind you he is a 3 year old playing with 5 years old.”
PEOPLE reached out to Nevada’s mother for comment.
WPPD said the family “was cooperative with the officers” and was “provided with an event number for the incident at their request.”
An incident report shared by police described the incident as a “civil matter,” and no arrests were made.
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PEOPLE has reached out to WPPD and i9 Sports, the league involved in the incident, for comment.
The youth sports league told WESH in a statement, “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,” they continued. “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.”
Source: Sports
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