Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Arkansas Football Player Finds Venomous Snake Inside Helmet
A high school football player in Arkansas had a very scary surprise.
He was practicing football while wearing a helmet.
A venomous snake was hidden inside the helmet the whole time.
The snake was about two feet long and was a cottonmouth.
The player wore the helmet for at least an hour before noticing something move.
He gave the helmet to an assistant coach to check.
The coaches were shocked when they saw the snake.
Animal services came and took the snake to a wooded area far away from the school.
The player switched to a different helmet and went back to practice.
Now coaches are telling everyone to check their gear carefully before using it.
A high school football player in Maumelle, Arkansas, practiced for at least an hour with a venomous cottonmouth snake hidden inside his helmet.
The student noticed unusual movement in the headpiece and brought it to an assistant coach for inspection after warm-ups.
Maumelle High School Athletic Director Kirk Horton said staff reacted with 'shock and disbelief' at discovering the two-foot-long snake.
Maumelle Animal Services retrieved the snake and released it in a wooded area far from the school.
The snake was initially reported as a copperhead but was identified as a cottonmouth, the second-most venomous snake in Arkansas.
- Who
- A high school football player at Maumelle High School, with Athletic Director Kirk Horton and animal services director Chris Davis responding.
- What
- The player discovered a venomous cottonmouth snake hidden under the padding of the helmet he had worn for about an hour during practice.
- When
- Last week, following warm-ups at Maumelle High School.
- Where
- Maumelle High School in Maumelle, Arkansas, US.
- Why
- The snake had been nestled under the helmet's padding, and the player only noticed it when he saw unusual movement in the headpiece.
- School
- Maumelle High School
- Location
- Maumelle, Arkansas, US
- Animal
- Cottonmouth snake (initially reported as copperhead)
- Snake length
- About two feet
- Time in helmet
- At least one hour
- Venom status
- Venomous; second-most venomous snake in Arkansas
- Responding agency
- Maumelle Animal Services
- Outcome
- Player uninjured; used a different helmet and continued practice