911 Call Reveals Real Reason Why Police Were Called on a 3-Year-Old Soccer Phenom

Thomas Hayes, a director with the i9 Sports Maitland/Winter Park youth programme, called Winter Park police during a dispute at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Florida on Saturday, 24 October 2026. The incident involved three-year-old soccer player Nevada Pierre and his parents, who challenged the programme's decision to exclude him.

In the 911 recording, Hayes described Nevada's mother as an 'unruly parent' and said the situation was 'not really an emergency'. He asked officers to respond promptly and complained that the mother was trying to make him look bad. His call centred on what he described as her behaviour towards him during the dispute.

What Hayes Told the 911 Dispatcher

'I just have an unruly parent here calling me on Instagram or whatever she's doing, trying to make me look bad,' Hayes told the dispatcher. He also alleged that the mother had followed him around and called him names in front of other people. Hayes said he had initially intended to contact the non-emergency number, although he still wanted police to attend.

When officers arrived, Hayes asked for the family to be removed from the property immediately. In body-camera footage, he also discussed the disagreement with the parents and the possibility of a refund. His comments to officers provided further context for the call, including the dispute over the child's participation in the programme.

The Dispute Over Playing Time and Conduct

Hayes described Nevada as 'very advanced' compared with the other children and said he scored frequently. He also alleged that the child pushed other players and said he had raised concerns with referees. Hayes linked the disagreement to playing time and substitutions, explaining that he rotated players to give other children opportunities to participate.

Nevada's mother, Martasia Griffin, told officers she was confused about why her son was being excluded. She believed the decision was connected to his performances against older children. The police incident log recorded the differing explanations: a league official said the parents were upset about playing time, while the parents believed Nevada was being excluded because he played too well. Griffin later shared game footage on Instagram, challenging the allegation that her son had pushed other players.

Police Classify the Dispute as Civil

The Winter Park Police Department said officers responded after a league official requested assistance with a disturbance involving league officials and a player's parents. According to the department, the league had asked the family to leave and offered to refund the league fee. The official then asked officers to speak with the family because he did not want to prolong the disturbance.

Police said the family told officers the game was over and they were leaving. The department described the family as cooperative and classified the incident as a civil matter. Nobody was arrested, trespassed or forced to leave the park, according to police. Officers also provided an event number at the parents' request. The department said the officers' body-worn cameras supported its account of the encounter.

i9 Sports Reviews the Incident

The i9 Sports Maitland/Winter Park programme said it had contacted the family and begun a review involving people connected to the incident. Its statement said the programme took the concerns seriously and emphasised the importance of treating children and families respectfully.

The programme said it would not speculate or share unverified information while it worked to understand the circumstances. It thanked those who had raised concerns but did not announce findings in the statement.