A newly released 911 call has shredded the viral narrative that police were summoned to a Florida youth soccer game because a 3-year-old phenom scored too many goals.
Instead, league director Thomas Hayes of i9 Sports dialed Winter Park police Saturday morning at Martin Luther King Jr. Park to report an “unruly parent” who was following him around, insulting him, and filming him for Instagram.
“I just have an unruly parent here calling me on Instagram or whatever she’s doing, trying to make me look bad,” Hayes told the dispatcher, according to audio obtained by multiple outlets including the New York Post. “There’s a parent here just really, really disruptive. Like following me, following me around and talking, calling me names in front of this whole bunch of people that’s here, so I want her to be gone.”
Hayes, who described the mother as a Black woman wearing pink, stressed it was “not really an emergency” but urged officers to “quickly get here” because the family was about to leave within 10 minutes. “I just want her off the property immediately,” he said.
The call came after 3-year-old Nevada, a dominant player who has racked up massive social media followings for his skills against older kids, scored repeatedly in a game involving 5-year-olds. His parents, Don and Martasia, posted video of the goals and then of officers on the sideline, with Don declaring, “They called the police on a 3-year-old because he’s too good” and “because he had the ball for too long.”
The clip exploded online, drawing outrage from celebrities and commentators who framed it as punishment for talent, or worse. Martasia later told HuffPost the ordeal “really traumatized” her son, who now “doesn’t want to go back to that place” and fears he did something wrong. She claimed other parents, coaches, and Hayes huddled to limit Nevada’s playing time so others could participate, and that police were called after she defended him.
Body-camera footage released by Winter Park police tells a more complicated story. Hayes told arriving officers Nevada is “very advanced” and “great,” scoring lots of goals, but “he’s pushing the kids.” He said he instructed the boy and refs to play without pushing, which angered the parents. When Nevada was pulled, Hayes said the parents created “a big scene,” arguing with him and other parents.
“I just want him out. Immediately,” Hayes told cops. “Just give me their names so I can give them their refund.”
Martasia pushed back on camera: “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. First, they said he’s not passing, but nobody’s catching the ball when he’s passing.”
Winter Park police treated it as a civil matter, not criminal. No one was arrested, trespassed, or forced to leave the park. Officers spoke with the family at the league’s request; the parents said the game was over and they were leaving. The family received a refund.
i9 Sports said it has begun a review and reached out to the family. “The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us,” the league stated.
The 911 audio, highlighted by accounts like TheOfficerTatum, undercuts the claim that cops were called solely because a toddler dominated the ball. Hayes never mentioned the child’s scoring on the call; the complaint centered on the mother’s alleged disruptive behavior. Social media responses noted the caller’s Jamaican accent and dismissed race-based interpretations as the dispute played out between parents and the director over playing time, physicality, and sideline conduct.
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