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SportsActive · 27h

Venomous cottonmouth discovered in Maumelle High School player's helmet

Arkansas high school football player practiced for over an hour with a two-foot venomous snake hidden in his helmet padding before a coach's discovery.

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Aug 118 AM4 PMnow · 9:07 PM

Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 36 items across 4 sources · 6h ago. Quotes are verbatim.

A Maumelle High School (Arkansas) football player discovered a venomous cottonmouth snake hidden in his helmet padding during practice on 2026-08-11, after feeling movement inside the helmet roughly an hour into the session. Athletic director Kirk Horton called Animal Services, who relocated the snake; the player was unharmed. Animal Services Director Chris Davis noted this was the first time he had encountered a snake in a football helmet in his career.

  • A Maumelle High School (Arkansas) player practiced with a venomous cottonmouth snake in his helmet for over an hour before discovering it through movement felt during the session.
  • The snake, two feet long, was hidden in the helmet's padding and initially misidentified as a copperhead before Animal Services confirmed it as a cottonmouth—Arkansas's second-most venomous snake.
  • Athletic director Kirk Horton contacted Animal Services rather than handling the snake himself; the snake was safely relocated with no player injury.
  • Animal Services Director Chris Davis stated this was the first time in his career he had encountered a snake inside a football helmet.

How it unfolded

  1. Event Snake discovered in helmet during practice

    A Maumelle High School football player noticed movement inside his helmet roughly an hour into practice. When handed to a defensive coach, a two-foot-long cottonmouth snake was found hidden underneath the helmet's padding.

  2. Event Animal Services called and relocates snake

    Athletic director Kirk Horton contacted Animal Services rather than handling the snake himself. The snake was initially reported as a copperhead but identified on-site as a cottonmouth, which is venomous. Animal Services relocated the snake.

    “I've removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks. In a helmet? Never.”

    Chris Davis · Press ↗
  3. Reaction Athletic director expresses shock at incident

    Kirk Horton reflected on the extraordinary nature of the discovery, noting the rarity of such an occurrence.

    “It really was just shock and disbelief. I've got a better shot at winning the lottery than seeing this in my ten years.”

    Kirk Horton · Press ↗

What people are saying verbatim

“It really was just shock and disbelief. I've got a better shot at winning the lottery than seeing this in my ten years.”

Kirk Horton, Maumelle High School athletic director · Fox News ↗

“I've removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks. In a helmet? Never.”

Chris Davis, Animal Services Director · KATV ↗

“Practicing football with a two-foot-long, deadly snake inside your helmet is the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully, the young man avoided an accident, but he also picked up a story he can tell for the rest of his life.”

Fox News, News outlet · Fox News ↗

Voices from the web unedited

  • An Arkansas high school football player discovered a venomous snake in the helmet he was wearing during practice for almost an hour.

    nbcnews.comBluesky5h ago23▲view on Bluesky ↗

  • Arkansas high school football player finds venomous snake inside helmet during practice https://www. cbsnews.com/news/arkansas-foot ball-player-venomous-snake-helmet/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into U.S. News @ u-s-news-CBSNews

    CBSNews@flipboard.comMastodon · toot.community2h agoview on Mastodon ↗

  • A high school football player in Arkansas unknowingly wore a helmet with a venomous snake inside it for nearly an hour before discovering the unwelcome intruder 😳

    espn@sportsbots.xyzMastodon · newsie.social2h agoview on Mastodon ↗