Arkansas high school football player finds venomous snake in helmet during practice

Sr Digital Curator

Animal experts say an Arkansas high school football player is lucky he wasn’t injured after he discovered a venomous snake inside his helmet at a recent practice.

Last week, a player at Maumelle High School noticed the cottonmouth snake, bringing practice to a halt.

“I’ve removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks — in a helmet? Never,” Chris Davis, director of Maumelle Animal Services, told KATV. “It’s kind of unbelievable.”

According to Davis, animal control officers responded to the high school for a report of a copperhead snake in a football helmet. However, after examining the helmet, it was determined that the snake was a cottonmouth.

Maumelle Animal Services officials warned in a Facebook post “that snakes and other critters can find their way into dark, enclosed spaces — especially helmets, shoes, bags, boxes, and other items that are left outside or sitting undisturbed.”

“Before putting on your helmet, shoes, gloves, or any outdoor gear, always give it a quick check first,” the post says. “It only takes a few seconds and could prevent a very scary encounter — or worse. Stay safe, stay alert, and remember: always check before you put it on.”

In this case, Davis said the a bite from the cottonmouth found in this situation “probably would’ve been fatal.”

Because the snake had slithered into the padding of the helmet, it was hard to remove.

Animal control officers had to flood the helmet with water to flush the snake out. Animal Services relocated the snake.

“It was very unreal,” Davis said. “You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real.”

The cottonmouth is one of six venomous snakes in Arkansas. It is heavy-bodied, normally dark olive-brown to black and has indistinct dark crossbands, except when wet. It has a white upper lip and a black stripe from its snout onto its neck.