Winter Park police called to youth match after organizers cite 3-year-old's skill
i9 Sports organizers asked officers to remove Nevada Griffin's family, claiming the boy pushed opponents, while parents insisted he was benched for being too advanced.
By Robert Ward ·
Organizers of the i9 Sports youth soccer league contacted Winter Park police over the weekend to have the family of a 3-year-old boy removed from a match. The organizers told responding officers that the child, Nevada, was pushing other players and causing a disturbance at the park. The family later identified itself as Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre, who shared body camera footage and their own recordings of the incident on social media.
The parents stated that they paid nearly $300 for the league registration. In the video they posted, Nevada is seen dribbling past other children and scoring multiple goals before police approached the family. The footage does not show Nevada making physical contact with other players. Griffin said the league initially claimed her son was not passing the ball, but noted that no other children were catching it when he threw it.
An i9 Sports organizer spoke with officers and described Nevada as very advanced compared to his peers. The organizer said the boy was scoring many goals and pushing kids during play. When the family became argumentative after Nevada was benched, the organizer requested that police get the parents' names so a refund could be processed. The organizer told officers, "I just want him out. Immediately."
Griffin explained to the officers that the league was removing her son because he was good at soccer. She stated, "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." Representatives for i9 Sports did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Officers did not cite the family for trespassing or force them to leave the park. They explained to the organizer that police did not have the authority to eject the family from public grounds. The Winter Park Police Department said in a statement that the league offered a refund to the parents. The department noted that the family was cooperative and stated that the game was over before they left.
No one was arrested or forced to leave the park during the interaction. As the officers concluded their response, one told another, "I kind of want to see him play. I bet he's good."
Source: ESPN
