WINTER PARK, Fla. — Newly released police body camera video has shed light on an incident in which officers were called to a youth soccer match over the weekend following a dispute involving the parents of a 3-year-old standout player and league staff.
The encounter occurred Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Winter Park, Florida, during an i9 Sports program game. Videos shared online by the parents of 3-year-old Nevada Pierre quickly spread across social media, showing the toddler skillfully dribbling past older children and scoring multiple goals before police arrived at the sideline.
Dispute over substitutions and play style
According to 911 audio and body camera footage made public Monday by the Winter Park Police Department, an on-site league director requested an officer response to address what he described as an unruly parent disrupting the match. The director informed arriving officers that Nevada was playing far ahead of his peers and pushing other children. He stated that when he attempted to substitute the toddler out to give other participants an opportunity to play, Nevada’s parents argued with him and other families.
The director also told police he walked away because the player’s mother was following him and livestreaming the interaction online, ABC News reported.
Nevada’s mother, Martasia Griffin, told officers that she believed her son was being targeted solely because of his athletic ability. Griffin said the boy was repeatedly removed from play despite scoring freely, and she denied instigating confrontations with other parents. Speaking to ABC News, Griffin said her son trains three hours daily with his father and that she stepped in when she learned he would be benched.
“I’m a little baffled because I signed my kid up for soccer,” Griffin told responding officers on the footage released by authorities, adding, “so they are literally kicking him out of this place because he’s good at soccer.”
Police classify matter as civil dispute
Officers informed the family that the situation was entirely civil and that no crime had been committed. Because the soccer program operates on public park grounds, police explained they could not legally force the family to leave the park, but they relayed the league organizer’s request that they depart the session and accept a full refund. The family agreed and left the field without incident.
“The incident was a civil matter between those parties and not criminal,” the Winter Park Police Department said in an official statement. “No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park.”
In a statement emailed to news outlets, i9 Sports stated that its call to law enforcement stemmed from an adult dispute rather than any actions by the child. The league emphasizes equal playing time and sportsmanship across its youth divisions, noting that staff sought police presence strictly to de-escalate tension between adults. The organization confirmed it refunded the family’s registration and asked the adults involved not to continue participating in the local program.
Widespread reaction and future training
The viral clips drew widespread public attention and support for the young athlete. Former U.S. Men’s National Team striker Eddie Johnson announced on social media that his Orlando-based training facility, the EJE7 Soccer Academy, would begin training Nevada. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and children’s content creator Ms. Rachel also shared public messages questioning how the situation was handled by adults on the sideline.
Within 24 hours of launching an online fundraiser to help finance private instruction, uniforms, and travel expenses in what his mother described as a more supportive environment, the family collected more than $35,000. Representatives for i9 Sports said the organization is conducting a full internal review of the event.
