Add The New York Post on Google An Arkansas high school football player practied for an hour with a venomous snake wriggling around in his helmet — until his coahes discovered the serpert.
Maumelle High School Athletic Director Kirk Horton said his staff was left stunned after one of their players brought in his helmet for inspection during the middle of practice, only for them to find a two-foot-long cottonmouth snake inside.
“It really was just shock and disbelief,” Horton told local KARK. “I’ve got a better shot at winning the lottery than seeing this in my ten years.”
The venomous snake had apparently found its way underneath the helmet’s padding, staying hidden from view until the student began noticing the strange feeling in the head piece during practice.
The school staff was able to secure the helmet inside a tote bag before the Maumelle Animal Services arrived to take custody of the animal.
Shocking images show how the agency was able to safely submerge the helmet in a sink to coax the serpent into coming out and capturing it.
“I’ve removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks,” Animal Services Director Chris Davis told KATV. “In a helmet? Never.”
“It was very unreal. You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real,” he added.
Davis noted that the behind the rattlesnake, the cottonmouth is the second most venomous snake in Arkansas, with the snake preferring to take shelter in dark, protected spaces.
The Maumelle Animal Services has since relocated the snake to a forested area away from the school.
