We don’t play about our babies.

Earlier this week, news quickly spread about Nevada Pierre and his recent after a youth soccer game dispute in Winter Park, Florida, resulted in police being called to the field. The 3-year-old was playing in an i9 Sports youth league game in the affluent town, where videos of him whipping past other children and scoring goals drew massive online attention.

League officials and some parents voiced concerns that Pierre, a Black boy, was too advanced for his age group—most of whom are 5-years-old—and pushed other children, leading to a verbal disturbance that broke out between adults regarding playing time and his aggressiveness on the field. The Winter Park Police Department clarified that the call was a civil matter rather than a criminal one, no one was arrested or legally trespassed, and Pierre’s family received a full registration refund from the league.

“We are aware of concerns being shared regarding an incident at a local i9 Sports program, and we take them very seriously,” the league said in a statement to a local Florida news outlet.

“The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us,” the league continued. “We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved. While we work to understand the circumstances, we will not speculate or share unverified information. We appreciate everyone who has brought their concerns to our attention.”

The outrage, as expected, was swift and in full force after news about Pierre hit the World Wide Web. A flurry of angry TikTok, Instagram and Facebook videos displayed a range of anger, frustration and disappointment in how the matter was handled. Roc Nation Sports addressed the incident, saying, “Keep shining Nevada, we support you!” Complex even reports that Roc Nation is planning to send Pierre to Spain later this year for a developmental program.

Pierre’s mother explained in an Instagram post, “The league kicked Nevada out because every week no one could take the ball from him some of the parents for the other team didn’t feel that it was fair.” The soccer phenom’s family launched a GoFundMe for him so that he can “continue his soccer journey with the encouragement and support every child deserves.” The goals for the fund was $30,000. At the time of this article’s publication, the amount raised was nearly $48,000.

And now, little Nevada is receiving even more support, and this time it is from a former soccer star. Retired USMNT forward Eddie Johnson confirmed that he would take the talented toddler under his wing in a recent social media post.

“Nevada deserves to be around someone that looks like him that can understand him and it’s sad in youth soccer we don’t have enough of those programs for kids of color to have those examples around them because soccer is a rich suburban sport that’s controlled by privileged rich entitled parents and no one likes when the less fortunate kids are better [than] their kids,” Johnson expressed in a passionate Instagram caption.

According to PEOPLE, Johnson revealed the situation reminded him why he created his own youth soccer and player development academy, called EJE7. Based in Orlando, EJE7 is just minutes away from Winter Park where the now infamous event occurred.

“We should be praising a three year old with his ability instead of tarnishing it,” Johnson explained.

Pierre might have been pulled out of his match on the day in question, but the athletic youngster does not appear to have quitting on his agenda any time soon.

Author: Bridgette Bartlett Royall

Read the original article on Essence.