You think today's football players are soft? They're playing with snakes in their helmets!

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Maumelle football player finds venomous snake inside helmet during practice

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MAUMELLE, Ark. — A Maumelle High School football player got an unexpected, and potentially dangerous, surprise during practice Thursday when he discovered a venomous snake inside his helmet.

The team was split into position groups after warmups when the player noticed unusual movement inside his helmet. He brought it to a defensive coach, who alerted Athletic Director Kirk Horton.

Coaches discovered a snake underneath the helmet’s padding and quickly secured the helmet in a tote while waiting for Maumelle Animal Services to arrive.

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Animal Services Director Chris Davis said officers initially received a report that the snake was a copperhead. When they arrived, they determined it was actually a cottonmouth.

The roughly two-foot-long snake was eventually removed from the helmet and relocated to a forested area away from the school.

Davis said the player had potentially been wearing the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate not to be bitten.

“It really was just shock and disbelief,” Horton said. “I’ve got a better shot at winning the lottery than seeing this in my ten years.”

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