Arkansas high school football player finds venomous snake inside helmet
· Toronto Sun
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A high school football player in Arkansas got a terrifying surprise during practice when he discovered a roughly two-foot-long venomous snake hiding inside his helmet.
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The Maumelle High School student had already spent about an hour practicing before he noticed something moving inside his headgear. He alerted his defensive coach, who called athletic director Kirk Horton for help, according to the Daily Mail .
When staff inspected the helmet, they found a snake tucked underneath the padding. It was eventually identified as a cottonmouth, a venomous pit viper.
Horton told KARK that everyone was stunned.
“It really was just shock and disbelief,” Horton said. “I’ve got a better shot at winning the lottery than seeing this in my 10 years.”
Getting the snake out was another problem
The cottonmouth apparently had no interest in giving up its hiding spot, so police officers poured water into the helmet to force it out, according to The Guardian .
Maumelle Animal Services then arrived, collected the snake in a tote bag and released it near a river, per NBC News .
Animal Services Director Chris Davis said the player was lucky. A bite from a venomous snake could have turned an already bizarre practice into a medical emergency.
“When the officers got there and stuff, they examined the helmet, and at that time they could see that there was a snake in the helmet,” Davis said, via KATV . “They verified it was not a copperhead, but it possibly was a cottonmouth or a water snake.”
The player, thankfully, wasn’t done with practice. He grabbed another helmet and kept playing, per The Guardian .
Second most venomous snake in Arkansas
Still, the incident prompted the head coach to remind players to check their equipment before putting it on.
Davis told The Guardian the snake may have recently eaten and was looking for a dark, enclosed place to digest its meal. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it found a football helmet sitting nearby.
The cottonmouth is the second most venomous snake in Arkansas and is known to favour dark, enclosed spaces, per NBC News .
The Maumelle Animal Shelter later offered some advice on Facebook that suddenly seems very reasonable: Check helmets, shoes, gloves and other outdoor gear before using them.
“Before putting on your helmet, shoes, gloves, or any outdoor gear, always give it a quick check first. It only takes a few seconds and could prevent a very scary encounter — or worse.”