Outrage as police called in dispute over three-year-old soccer player

Videos shared by his family show the toddler dribbling past older opponents and scoring goals, prompting his parents to allege that he was being excluded because he was too good at the game.

His mother, Martasia Griffin, claimed that other parents were unhappy with his performance because their children struggled to take the ball away from him and in a subsequent social media post, she alleged that the league had removed her son because he was outperforming the older players.

To control matters, police were soon called, sparking a outburst of angry reactions and pandemonium at the field. 

The 911 call around 9:50 a.m. came from the multi-sport i9 Sports league director, Thomas Hayes, who told the operator “there is a parent here that’s really, really disruptive.”

“Like following me around, calling me names in front of the whole bunch of people that are here. I want to be done,” he said, per audio The New York Post obtained from the Winter Park Police Department.

Hayes informed the police he was at the front of Martin Luther King Jr. Park and the parent was a black woman in a pink outfit.

“Can you have someone quickly get here?” he added at the end of the call.

Upon two officers arriving on the scene at 10 a.m., Hayes told the officials that parents were upset about a 3-year-old boy’s playing time, per the event report.

The parents of the child were upset that he was being scorned for playing well and was being taken out of the game, the report added.

The parents were also notified that their child would no longer be allowed to play in the league due to their behavior and any refund would be a civil matter. Hayes stated a refund would be given at a later date.

Per the report, the parents told the officers the game was over and they were leaving.

Dramatic videos from the scene quickly gained traction online, with viewers questioning why a recreational sports programme would exclude a young child over his playing ability.

In police body-camera footage, league official Thomas Hayes acknowledged that Nevada was exceptionally skilled for his age but alleged that the boy pushed other players while scoring goals.

Hayes told officers that he had tried to discourage pushing and had rotated children during games to give everyone an opportunity to play. He also claimed that Nevada's parents had previously objected when their son was taken out of a game and that a disagreement developed after he asked referees to address the alleged pushing.

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?’"

Hayes told officers that the parents had argued with him and other parents. He requested that the family leave and said he was willing to refund their registration fee.

However, Nevada's parents disputed his account. His mother told officers that she believed the league was excluding her son because he was good at soccer. 

Footage of the match shared by the family and seen by global media and internet users, does not show the alleged pushing.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Oct. 26, Nevada's mom 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 black American football star 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.

Speaking to WESH, an NBC-affiliated television station, The youth sports league said 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.”