The child’s parents and league officials gave different accounts of what led to the confrontation. Police said no crime was reported and no one was arrested.
By The Haitian Tribune Staff
October 27, 2026
WINTER PARK, Fla. — A disagreement at a youth soccer game involving a 3-year-old player brought police to Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Saturday, Oct. 24. Body-camera footage of the encounter later spread online, prompting public discussion about how the child and his parents were treated.
The Winter Park Police Department said officers responded after a soccer league official reported a disturbance involving the child’s parents. The child, identified in reports as Nevada Pierre, was playing in the youth game.
The league official told police he had rotated children during earlier games so each could participate. He said the parents objected to the playing-time arrangements and criticized him. The official also alleged that the child had been pushing other players and that the parents later argued with other families at the field.
The official said he wanted the parents to leave and planned to provide their names to arrange a refund, according to the police report.
The child’s mother, Martasia Griffin, disputed the league’s account. In footage released by police, she told officers that league representatives were upset because her son was playing soccer. The parents also said their child had been “scorned” for playing well, according to the report.
Police said officers treated the matter as a civil dispute rather than a criminal incident. No one was arrested, formally trespassed or forced to leave the park, the department said.
The league, identified in reports as i9 Sports, has begun reviewing what happened. The available information does not include the outcome of that review or a complete response from the league.
The episode has raised questions online about playing time, behavior expectations for very young athletes and how adults should handle disagreements at children’s sporting events. Police have not announced a criminal investigation.
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