The controversy surrounding 3-year-old soccer prodigy Nevada Pierre has put a spotlight on the underlying racial issues that plague sports, particularly soccer, from the grassroots to the professional level. Also how parental involvement is often the catalyst for disaster in many circumstances.
The child’s parents claim he parted ways with his Winter Park youth soccer league due to him dominating older competition, then having cops called on his boastful mother and father as opposing parents complained he was just too good.
Jay-Z, Soccer Players Alex Freeman & Eddie Johnson Reach Out To Help Nevada Pierre
Now professionals from around the soccer world are showing support and offering to help cultivate his exceptional talents. Loren Lorosa of “The Breakfast Club” reports Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has explored opportunities for him in Spain.
Former U.S. men’s national team player Eddie Johnson said Monday his soccer academy would train the 3-year-old boy who was removed from an i9 Sports youth soccer program in Winter Park, Florida, after tensions erupted between his mother and father and other parents last weekend.
Johnson, the former MLS and Premier League striker who runs EJE7 Soccer Academy in Orlando, Florida, said on Instagram that the boy’s removal from the i9 program, and the predominately white youth league’s involvement of police in asking his family to leave a park, was indicative of what ails youth soccer in the United States.
“His situation has brought light to a lot of the things that still exist in youth soccer in this country,” Johnson wrote. “Entitlement, Jealousy, Envy, Nepotism, Gatekeeping and profiling especially against people of color.”
Also, 22-year-old USMNT and Villarreal defender Alex Freeman has offered to arrange soccer gear and a possible meet-and-greet with Nevada following the viral dispute at his youth soccer league in Florida.
“I’m sorry this happened! This is not right! Taking the freedom and love away from him just because he’s talented is unacceptable. This will forever now be a memory and is not ok,” the 22-year-old wrote.
“Dm me if possible, will definitely set something up where you can get gear and maybe meet up.”
Were Cops Called To Remove 3-Year-Old Nevada Pierre From Youth Game For Being Too Good?
Various stories were circulated before the truth was uncovered.
Last weekend, an i9 Sports youth soccer organizer called police to remove the family of 3-year-old Nevada. The parents claim the youngster was running circles around groups of white players ages 4 to 6 and, naturally, the parents of the league weren’t too fond of his dominance. The boy’s parents claim the other parents organized to complain to the league director and were confronted by Pierre’s mom who overheard them. The confrontation allegedly escalated and police were called.
The organizer told officers Nevada had been pushing other players and his family created a disturbance at the park. But in body camera footage of the police response released Monday, the child’s parents are seen telling officers that the boy was kicked out of the league because he’s too good at soccer.
Who Are Nevada Pierre’s Parents?
The child’s parents have identified themselves as Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre. After the incident they posted a video across social media channels that went viral of their son dominating the soccer action and scoring multiple goals before Winter Park, Florida, police officers intervened.
Parents claimed Nevada was pushing the other kids and refusing to pass the ball.
Social media opportunists took advantage of the story and framed it as if parents called the police on Nevada to have him removed from the league because he was too good a soccer player for the other kids to handle.
While his dominance may have caused an overreaction from the opposing parents, in a statement to ESPN, a representative for i9 Sports said police were called due to a disturbance between parents.
“i9 Sports has reviewed what happened at Saturday’s game in Winter Park, including interviews with those in attendance and materials available by the police,” the statement read. “This call was not related to the child.
“A league official called police to report a disturbance between adults at the game and to help de-escalate it. The official described the parents as being disruptive. We do not have video of the confrontation itself, and we are not going to characterize the family beyond what was reported to police. The Winter Park Police Department has stated that no one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park, and that the matter was civil and not criminal.”
At the end of the day, are the parents far off? Black soccer players will tell you of the racial discrimination they have experienced playing around the world. It’s not always direct. The league clearly got what it wanted, which was for Nevada’s parents to leave. The program added that Nevada’s parents had successfully requested a refund on Saturday.
“Following the incident, the league asked the adults involved not to continue as participants in the program,” it added.
In any event, the incident has propelled the 3-year old soccer phenom to worldwide fame and the greats of the soccer world, along with music mogul Jay-Z, are reaching out to help him along his journey.
