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The Maumelle High student felt unusual movement inside his
headgear following warmups last week and brought his helmet to
an assistant coach for inspection. A slithering 2-foot
cottonmouth was discovered behind some padding.
The pit viper was so reluctant to exit the helmet that police
officers had to pour water into it to force the snake out and
into a bag. Animal services technicians arrived a few minutes
later, identified the snake as a deadly cottonmouth and took it
to a wooded area far from the school.
Cottonmouths are the second-most venomous snakes found in
Arkansas.
Animal services director Chris Davis said the player wore the
helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn't bitten.
“It was unreal," Davis said. “You had to kind of be there and
take pictures to say this was real.”
The player grabbed a different helmet and continued practice.
But the situation caused the head coach to reiterate to his team
that players should examine their equipment carefully before
using it, checking for insects — or maybe something larger and
more dangerous.
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