This 3-year-old scored 10 goals. Then police showed up at his soccer game

The parents of a 3-year-old soccer player in Florida say the police were called to a game this weekend because their son was dominating the ball. Police have confirmed with CBC News they were called to the game over reports of an "unruly parent."

The child, Nevada, is 'traumatized,' says his mother

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 26, 2026 3:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

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In the viral video posted by his parents, a three-year-old central Florida boy dribbles the ball up the field, dodging the other pint-sized players and kicks it into the net as his parents cheer.

Then the boy, named Nevada, does it again. And again. And again.

Later in the same video, which has been viewed more than one million times on TikTok since it was posted Sunday, Nevada stands on the sidelines as his father says, "they called the police on a three-year-old because he was too good."

"Because he had the ball for too long, and nobody else could get the ball, so they called the police."

The reaction online was swift, with people equally enraged over the allegations and admiration for the preschooler's skills. In the TikTok comments, some called on the parents to sue, others alleged that calling the police was racist, and many commented on the "heartbreak" in the little boy's face when the police show up.

"I'm LIVID," children's entertainer and vocal children's rights advocate Ms. Rachel posted on Instagram Monday morning, calling on soccer stars and other athletes to support the child and his family.

"This is racist, sick, traumatizing and disgusting," she added.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III called the incident "crazy," writing on X that "punishing a 3 year old child for being too good at a sport is RIDICULOUS."

CBC News has reached out to Nevada's parents but has not yet heard back. The family already had a sizeable social media following on TikTok and Instagram, where they've documented Nevada's soccer skills over the years.

The Winter Park Police Department confirmed to CBC News Monday that officers were called to a children's soccer game Saturday after a league official "requested response to a disturbance between league officials and the parents of a player."

A screen shot of a post on Threads by children's entertainer Ms. Rachel on Monday. (@msrachelforlittles/Threads)

So, what actually happened?

The official called 911 at 9:53 a.m., according to the police incident report viewed by CBC News.

In a recording of the call provided by police, the official can be heard saying he has "an unruly parent here, calling me names and having me on Instagram."

He says the parent is being "really disruptive, like following me around and calling me names. I want her to be gone."

He describes her as a Black woman wearing pink.

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The incident report says the official told police the parents were upset about their son's playing time, while the parents said their child "was being scorned for playing too well and was being taken out of [the] game."

The Winter Park Police Department said the league had asked the family to leave and offered to refund its fees. When police arrived, the official asked officers to communicate that to the family, the department said.

A screen grab of an Instagram post by illustrator and activist Nikkolas Smith, in support of 3-year-old soccer player Nevada, posted on Monday. (@nikkolas_smith/Instagram)

"The family stated the game was over and they were leaving," the police statement says, adding that the family was co-operative and no one was arrested, trespassed or forced to leave the park.

The video posted by Nevada's parents shows a Black woman wearing pink speaking with two police officers. One tells her the league office should be reaching out soon about a refund.

In a separate video, the parents claim the soccer officials repeatedly pulled Nevada from the 30-minute game after he scored and that, as a result, he played only about 12 minutes — but still scored 10 goals.

Boy is 'traumatized,' says mother

The soccer league, i9 Sports Maitland/Winter Park, told CBC News in a statement Monday that it was aware of concerns about "an incident at a local i9 Sports program" and takes them very seriously.

"We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved," the league said.

In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Nevada's mother, identified as Martasia Griffin, said Nevada has been targeted all season because of his talent and that, at this particular game, some parents complained that no one else could get the ball.

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She said the league director agreed it was unfair to other children and offered Griffin a refund.

"I cannot explain to my three year old son that he cannot play today because he's so good. I continued to let him play until the police walked in," Griffin said.

Nevada, she told HuffPost in another interview Monday, is "traumatized."

An Instagram post by former U.S. soccer player Eddie Johnson in which he supports 3-year-old Nevada. (Eddie_Johnson7/Instagram)

"He still wants to play soccer. He just doesn’t want to go back to that place. I don’t think that’s how he should be thinking, that as a 3-year-old he did something wrong."

Former U.S. professional soccer player Eddie Johnson posted about Nevada several times on social media Sunday and Monday, saying the boy would be joining his soccer program and criticizing how he was treated at the game.

"They wanna dim his light," Johnson posted to his Instagram stories.

"They thought they were taking your dreams away, but in reality (made) you the most famous three-year-old in the world right now."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.