The Internet exploded with fury after the parents of soccer superstar Nevada Pierre, 3, claimed on Instagram that someone called the police on their son during a youth championship game because he was too talented.
“Nevada was escorted out…because he’s the best 3-year-old in the world today,” read the caption of the video, which included a police officer emoji, raised hands and a reference to a Bible chapter. The video shows Nevada skillfully dribbling the ball and scoring, before cutting to the preschool prodigy looking at the cops in confusion.
Now, body camera recordings have shed light on what happened during the viral incident at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Winter Park, Florida, on Saturday.
According to a statement from the Winter Park Police Department, officers were contacted by a football league official requesting a response to a dispute between a player’s parents and league staff.
In body camera recordings released Monday, the league official tells officers that the Nevada parents are “creating a big scene, arguing with the other parents” and says, “I just want them to come out immediately.”
The league official also said that the little boy played much better than other players and pushed them, which concerned him.
Videos shared by Nevada parents on Instagram show the precocious dynamo masterfully weaving between taller players and delivering powerful kicks sending the ball into the goal.
When police approached Nevada mother Martasia Griffin, she said she was upset because she saw parents huddled together and talking about her son. She says she doesn’t believe he should be penalized for being good.
“I’m a little confused because I signed my kid up for soccer,” she told the police, “so they literally kicked him out of this place because he’s good at soccer.”
As she and her husband speak to police, 3-year-old Nevada can be seen wide-eyed in the background.
“At just 3 years old, Nevada couldn’t understand why he was being removed from a game he loved,” Griffin wrote in a GoFundMe statement Monday. “What should have been a happy childhood moment became heartbreaking and distressing for him and deeply painful for our family to witness. »
In the body camera footage, Griffin says she’s worried the league won’t reimburse her family. The agents respond that they have no control over this and relay the league’s request that the parents leave the park, which they do.
“The incident was a civil matter between these parties and not a criminal one,” the department said in a statement. “No one was arrested, trespassed or forced to leave the park.”
On social media, Nevada’s family continued to express their frustrations, posting clips from the game and writing, “Where’s the push?” They also wrote that Nevada was knocked out of a 30-minute game three times, but still managed to score 10 goals in about 10 to 15 minutes of play.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Trayvon Martin, spoke out on social media Monday, saying, “If this child was punished for excelling, what message does that send to every young athlete?
Some on social media speculated that there was a racial motivation behind the incident, as Nevada is black and several of the children he played against were white. Body camera recordings show the league official who spoke with police is also black.
Ms. Rachel, an early childhood educator and child protection activist, highlighted the encounter on her Instagram, calling what happened “racist, sick, traumatic and disgusting” and inviting Nevada to come on her show and show off her skills.
Reels of his astonishing skills regularly receive millions of views, and his fame has only increased following the viral encounter with the police.
On Monday, Nevada’s mother launched a fundraiser to cover registration fees, training, equipment, uniforms and travel expenses so he can continue to develop his talent in a “more supportive setting.” In 24 hours, GoFundMe had raised $35,000.
“This fundraiser is about more than one painful experience,” Griffin wrote. “It’s about protecting Nevada’s passion for football and making sure this moment doesn’t define its journey.”
The family also shared a screenshot on Instagram revealing that the sports league had refunded them. i9 Sports did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. A spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel that the organization has contacted the Nevada family and is looking into the incident.
“We are aware of the concerns raised regarding an incident on a local i9 Sports program and we take them very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family is deeply important to us. »
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