Florida Police Respond to Dispute Over Three-Year-Old Soccer Player

A dispute involving a three-year-old soccer player prompted a police response at a public park in Winter Park, Florida, after a youth league organizer requested that the boy's family leave. Body camera footage released Monday showed the organizer alleging that the child pushed other players, while his parents told officers the league had removed him because of his soccer ability.

The incident occurred over the weekend and involved i9 Sports, a nationwide youth sports organization. According to the parents, the league had cost them nearly $300. They shared videos of their son, identified as Nevada, dribbling past other children and scoring several goals before Winter Park Police officers approached the family.

In the police footage, the organizer acknowledged the child's soccer skills but alleged that his physical play had become a concern. The video shared by the parents does not show Nevada making physical contact with other players.

"The kid is good. He's great. Really good," the organizer told responding officers.

"He's very advanced compared to the other ones, so he's scoring a lot of goals. But he's pushing the kids ... So, I try to tell him, don't push; we want to play without pushing, right?"

The organizer told officers that the parents became argumentative after their son was benched. The dispute led the organizer to request the family's immediate removal and ask for their names to facilitate a refund.

"I just want him out. Immediately," the organizer told police. "Just give me their names so I can give them their refund."

Representatives for i9 Sports did not respond to ESPN's requests for comment.

When officers spoke with a woman who identified herself as Nevada's mother, she disputed the organizer's account of why the child had been removed from play. She said the parents believed the league was penalizing their son for being more skilled than the other children.

"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 told officers. "First, they said he's not passing, but nobody's catching the ball when he's passing."

The boy's parents are Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre, according to a post on Pierre's Instagram page. They also identified themselves in a public fundraiser.

The Winter Park Police Department said officers did not have the authority to remove the family from the public park or issue a trespassing citation. According to the department's statement on its website, the family cooperated with officers and said the game had ended and they were leaving.

"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."

At the end of the interaction, one officer expressed interest in seeing the child play soccer, according to the body camera recording.

"I kind of want to see him play. I bet he's good," the officer told another officer.