Police were called after a dispute involving the parents of a three-year-old player at a soccer game in Florida over the weekend.
The boy’s parents can be heard on police body cameras saying their son, Nevada, had been kicked out because he was too good at soccer and was embarrassing the other children. However, an organizer at the game said Nevada had pushed other children and his parents had become argumentative when their son was taken out the game.
In police body camera footage the organizer of the event, who works for i9 Sports, a youth sports group, can be heard saying Nevada’s parents had caused a disturbance.
“The kid is good. He’s great. Really good,” the organizer says in the footage. “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?”
Nevada’s parents posted a clip of their son at the event in which he can be seen dribbling around older children with ease. The video has since gone viral. Nevada cannot be seen pushing any other children in the footage posted by his parents.
“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,” his mother says in the body camera footage. “First, they said he’s not passing, but nobody’s catching the ball when he’s passing.”
The i9 Sports worker told police they were willing to give Nevada’s parents a refund if they left.
“I just want him out. Immediately,” the organizer told police. “Just give me their names so I can give them their refund.”
The Winter Park Police Department said the family agreed to leave the event and no one was arrested.
“The family stated the game was over and they were leaving. The family was cooperative with the officers,” the department wrote in a statement on its website. “No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park.”
i9 Sports said it was reviewing the incident and had contacted Nevada’s family.
“We are aware of concerns being shared regarding an incident at a local i9 Sports program, and we take them very seriously,” i9 Sports said in a statement. “The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us. We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved. While we work to understand the circumstances, we will not speculate or share unverified information. We appreciate everyone who has brought their concerns to our attention.”
One officer appeared to want to see more of Nevada though. “I kind of want to see him play. I bet he’s good,” he can be heard saying to another officer on body camera.
