USA: Football player practiced for an hour with a venomous snake inside his helmet

The incident occurred during a football team practice at a high school in Maumelle, Arkansas. The player, whose name was not released, put on the helmet and continued to practice for about an hour without realizing that the venomous animal was inside it. The snake managed to crawl under the padding and remain hidden while the teenager ran and practiced. In the middle of the practice, the player began to feel a strange sensation inside the helmet and brought it to the coaching staff.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Kirk Horton, the school's athletic director. "I have a better chance of winning the lottery than seeing something like this."

The staff members put the helmet in a large bag and called a snake catcher. At first, they suspected it was a copperhead, but after an inspection, the snake was identified as a cottonmouth — a venomous species from the viper family that lives, among other places, in Arkansas.

Removing the snake proved to be a difficult task. It was wedged deep between the layers of padding and could not be safely pulled out. Therefore, they submerged the helmet in water until the snake came out of its hiding place.

"I've pulled snakes out of car vents, engines, bags, and backpacks," said the catcher, Chris Davis. "But from a helmet? Never."

The snake was captured unharmed and was subsequently moved to a wooded area far from the school. Fortunately, the player emerged from the incident without a bite. Following the incident, animal control officials recommended checking helmets, bags, and other equipment left in dark or protected areas before using them.