High School Football Player Practices With Venomous Cottonmouth Snake In Helmet For Around 1 Hour: REPORT

During a recent high school football practice in Maumelle, Arkansas, a player had a venomous cottonmouth snake in his helmet for around an hour.

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The news was first reported Tuesday by the Associated Press and KATV.

According to the reports, the player wasn’t bitten and is doing okay. (RELATED: Democratic US Senate Nominee Abdul El-Sayed Claims ‘Toxic Masculinity’ At Heart Of Football)

The student of Maumelle High School, who hasn’t been named, was feeling movement in his helmet while practicing and told an assistant coach, per the AP. The 2-foot snake was then found under the helmet’s padding inside.

From there, police were called to take care of what they originally thought was a copperhead, which is also venomous like a cottonmouth. However, when they arrived, authorities identified it as a cottonmouth.

In an attempt to get the snake out, they placed the helmet into a water-filled tub. However, the cottonmouth, also called a water moccasin, is a semi-aquatic pit viper, so the water had minimal impact.

Ultimately, the snake poked its head out, with an officer capturing it by using a grabber tool. Footage of the cottonmouth’s capture was posted on social media.

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Also called to the scene was Maumelle Animal Services, with Director Chris Davis telling the Associated Press that the student-athlete practiced for around an hour with the snake in his helmet.

In Arkansas, cottonmouth snakes are one of six venomous species, with the others being the copperhead, the Texas Gulf Coast coral snake, and three types of rattlesnakes.

Davis stated that he’s never witnessed anything like this situation.

“I’ve removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks,” said Davis while speaking with KATV. “In a helmet? Never. It was very unreal. You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real.”

According to the Associated Press, the player continued practice with another helmet following the discovery of the snake, which was reportedly released in the woods by Maumelle Animal Services. The location of the release was far from both football practice and the school.

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