Family of three-year-old soccer player launches GoFundMe, police reveal reason for call

CALGARY — A three-year-old Florida soccer player whose family claimed police were called because he was "too good at soccer" has raised more than $45,000 through GoFundMe, as police bodycam footage offers a different account of the incident.Nevada Pierre gained widespread attention after video footage showed him outperforming other children during a youth soccer game in Winter Park, Florida, against players reportedly as old as five.His mother, Martasia Griffin, launched a GoFundMe campaign on Monday to help cover soccer training, registration fees, equipment and travel expenses.The fundraiser has since surpassed $45,000, receiving donations from supporters following the family's public allegations about how the youth soccer league handled the incident.His family claimed league officials contacted police because Nevada was outperforming other players and keeping possession of the ball for too long..According to the Los Angeles Times, the money is intended to support registration fees, training, equipment, uniforms and travel expenses, as well as opportunities for Nevada to continue playing in a more supportive environment.Griffin has maintained that the incident negatively affected her son, previously telling HuffPost that he no longer wanted to return to the league where the disagreement occurred."It really traumatized Nevada," she said."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."The Winter Park Police Department has disputed that account, maintaining that officers were called over a disagreement involving the child's parents and soccer league officials, rather than his performance on the field.Police body-worn camera footage has drawn renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding the original call. The department said officers were dispatched after a league official reported a disturbance involving the parents of a player.."The Winter Park Police Department was contacted by a soccer league official who requested response to a disturbance between league officials and the parents of a player," police said in an earlier statement.According to authorities, league officials had requested that the family leave the premises and offered to refund their registration fees.Police said the family was cooperative when officers arrived and indicated that the game had already ended and they were preparing to leave.No arrests were made, and officers did not forcibly remove anyone from the park."The incident was a civil matter between those parties and not criminal. No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park," the department said.The department maintains that body-worn camera footage supports its account of the police response, although the footage does not necessarily establish what initially caused the disagreement between the family and league officials..The youth soccer organization, i9 Sports, previously confirmed it had launched a review of the incident and contacted those involved to determine what happened.The controversy has continued to attract attention online, with the growing fundraiser demonstrating the support Nevada has received despite questions surrounding the original account of why police were called.The family maintains that Nevada was ''unfairly treated because of his abilities," while police have consistently characterized their involvement as a response to a dispute between adults.

Family of three-year-old soccer player launches GoFundMe, police reveal reason for call

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