Cops are called to a youth soccer game over a 3-year-old. Then an official says the boy is ‘very advanced compared to the other ones’ but pushes kids

A Florida mother is raising money for her three-year-old son, Nevada Pierre, after officers were summoned to his youth soccer game in Winter Park. According to GoFundMe, organizer Martasia Griffin wrote that Nevada was “removed from the game because of concerns about his skill level” during an Oct. 24 i9 Sports game. She added that “the situation escalated to the point that law enforcement was called.”

Griffin wrote that Nevada has been drawn to soccer since age one and that “Nevada could not understand why he was being taken away from a game he loved.” She described the moment as “heartbreaking and distressing” for him. The fundraiser would pay for registration, training, equipment, uniforms and travel so he can keep playing somewhere more supportive. At the time of posting, it had raised more than $19,000 toward a $24,000 goal.

Winter Park police reported that a league official called officers to Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Saturday morning over a “disturbance between league officials and the parents of a player.” The league wanted the family to go and offered a refund. In audio of the call, the official described one parent as “really, really disruptive.”

Police call it a civil matter

In its statement, the department called the dispute “a civil matter between those parties and not criminal,” stating that “No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park.” The department also noted that the family “was cooperative with the officers” and received an event number at their request. People reported that body camera footage released by police shows a league official speaking with officers and describing Nevada as “very advanced compared to the other ones.”

Coverage of the police report stated that the official cited other parents’ unhappiness with Nevada’s playing time. It also stated that the official informed the family Nevada would be removed from the league over their conduct at the game. Police added that the family told officers “the game was over and they were leaving.”

The official alleged that Nevada was “pushing the kids” and added that he had tried to tell the boy to stop. He also explained that he cycled children in and out of earlier games so everyone could play. He further alleged that Nevada’s parents called him “ignorant” over that decision and created “a big scene” during the latest game. The official told officers he wanted the parents “out immediately.”

Griffin disputes the account. In a second police clip, she told officers, “They’re mad at my son because he actually plays soccer.” Griffin also stated that she was baffled because she had registered her children for the sport. She later posted footage of the entire game on Instagram and asked where the pushing was.

In an earlier post, Griffin attributed the removal to Nevada keeping the ball, writing that nobody could get it from him. Griffin wrote that some parents on the opposing team did not think the matchup was fair. The family also claimed in an Oct. 10 post that he scored 21 times across two games, playing in a 5U division against older children.

i9 Sports responded that it takes the concerns “very seriously” and is conducting a review and talking with those involved. The league added that it has contacted the family and that the “respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us.” It will not speculate while it works to understand what happened.

Police have also been part of other recent disputes involving a parent and a school, including a New Jersey mom’s chokehold claim.