Chances are more than one high school football player will think twice before securing their helmet on their head.
That’s because one player from Maumelle High School took to the practice field not knowing he had a stowaway — a two-foot-long cottonmouth snake.
The player actually practiced for an hour before discovering the snake.
Maumelle High School Athletic Director Kirk Horton said one of the players brought in his helmet for inspection during the middle of practice when he realized something was awry.
“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 10 years.”
The snake hiding underneath the helmet's padding where it remained hidden until the student began noticing the strange feeling in the head piece during practice.
The school staff secured the helmet inside a tote bag before the Maumelle Animal Services arrived to take custody of the animal.
Officers for Animal Services received a report that the snake was a copperhead, which is venomous, but it was eventually identified as a cottonmouth, which is also venomous.
"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.
The Maumelle Animal Services has relocated the snake to a forested area away from the school.
David added the cottonmouth is the second most venomous snake found in Arkansas, coming behind the rattlesnake.