3-YEAR-OLD US SOCCER SENSATION OFFERED SPAIN TRIP, ACADEMY PLACE AFTER VIRAL EXPULSION
A 3-year-old soccer player kicked out of a Florida youth league for being “too good” has been flooded with offers ranging from a GoFundMe that has now topped $44,000 to a development trip to Spain backed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports.
Nevada Pierre, who plays in the i9 Sports league in Winter Park, Florida, went viral after video showed him dribbling past 5-year-olds and scoring at will.
His mother, Martasia Griffin, told ABC News he has scored over 40 goals in five games while playing two years above his age group, at one point netting ten goals in limited time.
The incident happened on October 24, 2026. Griffin said league officials said opposing parents felt it was unfair that no one could take the ball from him, then called police to remove the family.
Bodycam footage released by Winter Park Police shows an organizer telling officers: “I just want him out” and that the parents had become argumentative after he was benched.
In the video Griffin tells officers: “They’re mad at my son because he actually plays soccer. They’re literally kicking him out of this place because he’s good at soccer.”
Police called it a civil matter with no arrests. The family said they were refunded.
Griffin wrote on the GoFundMe page: “He was removed from the game because of concerns about his skill level, and the situation escalated to the point that law enforcement was called. At just 3 years old, Nevada could not understand why he was being taken away from a game he loved.”
The page was launched as “Support Nevada’s Soccer Journey” to cover registration, training, equipment, uniforms and travel for a more supportive environment.
It raised $35,000 in the first 24 hours and as of Wednesday, October 28, is over $44,000, well above its initial $24,000 goal.
According to reports published Wednesday, Roc Nation Sports, the sports division founded by Jay-Z, has committed to sending Nevada to Spain in December for a football-development experience.
The agency, which represents athletes including Kevin De Bruyne, Marcus Rashford and Reece James, has not yet given formal details but the trip is expected to provide the youngster with exposure to a different training environment.
Other offers have come from former US men’s national team striker Eddie Johnson, who has offered to train Nevada at his soccer academy in Orlando.
Current USMNT defender Alex Freeman has also publicly supported him, while children’s educator Ms. Rachel called the incident “racist and traumatizing” and invited him to her platform. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump also weighed in, questioning the broader implications.
i9 Sports said in a statement it was taking the matter seriously and emphasized its commitment to the respectful treatment and welfare of all children and families in its programs.