A youth soccer organizer in Florida called police over the weekend to have the family of a 3-year-old boy removed from a game, saying the child had been pushing other players. Body camera footage of the police response, released Monday, shows the boy's parents telling officers their son was thrown out of the league because he is too good at soccer.
The parents have since identified themselves publicly as Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre. They posted video on several social media channels showing their son, Nevada, playing against other children before police arrived. In the viral clip, he dribbles past other kids and scores several goals, then looks on in confusion as Winter Park Police officers ask his family to leave the public park. The parents told officers the league had cost them nearly $300.
In the body camera footage, an organizer for the nationwide youth sports organization i9 Sports tells officers the boy's parents caused a disturbance at the park. The organizer also praised the child's ability. "The kid is good. He's great. Really good," the organizer said, adding that he is "very advanced compared to the other ones, so he's scoring a lot of goals. But he's pushing the kids."
The organizer said he had asked the boy not to push, telling him the aim was to play without pushing. The video posted by the parents does not show physical contact between their son and other players. Representatives for i9 Sports did not respond to ESPN's requests for comment.
According to the organizer, the parents became argumentative when their son was benched. "I just want him out. Immediately," the organizer told police, asking for the family's names so a refund could be issued.
When officers spoke with a woman who identified herself as Nevada's mother, she said other parents were upset that her son was too advanced for the league. "They're mad at my son because he actually plays soccer. They're literally kicking him out of this place because he's good at soccer," she said. She added that the league first claimed he was not passing, but that "nobody's catching the ball when he's passing."
Officers did not cite the family for trespassing or eject them from the park, and they explained to the organizer that they lacked the authority to do so. In a statement on its website, the Winter Park Police Department said the league offered the parents a refund. The parents were not named in the report.
"The family stated the game was over and they were leaving. The family was cooperative with the officers," the department wrote. "No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park."
The encounter ended on a lighter note. As one officer remarked to another, "I kind of want to see him play. I bet he's good."
