Athletes at the professional and amateur levels train to perform in adverse conditions. Whether in front of a raucous road crowd rooting against them or in the midst of severe weather, athletes are taught to remain focused on the task at hand.
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One high school football player may have been a bit too locked in, as he made a shocking discovery during practice that gave a new definition to Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality."
The Arkansas-based student-athlete practiced for over an hour with a venomous snake coiling within his helmet.
Maumelle High School Athletic Director Kirk Horton was flabbergasted when he and his staff discovered the serpent after the student asked for a helmet inspection.
High School Football Staff Discovers Snake in Student's Helmet
"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."
Somehow, the snake navigated into the helmet's padding, allowing it to remain hidden during practice. Eventually, after over an hour spent on the gridiron, the student felt a funny feeling in his helmet. He then asked his coaches to inspect his gear.
The school staff trapped the snake in a tote bag before Maumelle Animal Services arrived to remove the serpent from the premises.
"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 snake nestled within the helmet was incredibly dangerous.
Behind the rattlesnake, the cottonmouth snake is the second-most venomous snake in Arkansas. The snake species typically hides in dark, protected areas.
Cottonmouths are semiaquatic, so they're comfortable both swimming in water and slithering on land. They are the only venomous snake in the U.S. that spends long periods of time in the water, Live Science previously reported.
Cottonmouths are relatively large, ranging from 30 to 48 inches long. It is unclear how big the snake that snuck into the helmet was.
The Maumelle Animal Services has since relocated the snake to a forested area.
