An Arkansas high school football player made an unsettling discovery during practice when he found a 2-foot-long venomous snake had crawled inside his helmet.

The Maumelle High student felt unusual movement inside his headgear following warmups last week and brought his helmet to an assistant coach for inspection. A slithering cottonmouth was discovered behind some padding.

The pit viper was so reluctant to exit the helmet that police officers had to pour water into it to force the snake out and into a bag. Animal services technicians arrived a few minutes later, identified the snake as a deadly cottonmouth and took it to a wooded area far from the school.

Cottonmouths are the second-most venomous snakes found in Arkansas.

Animal services director Chris Davis said the player wore the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn’t bitten.

“It was unreal,” Davis said. “You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real.”

The player grabbed a different helmet and continued practice. But the situation caused the head coach to reiterate to his team that players should examine their equipment carefully before using it, checking for insects — or maybe something larger and more dangerous.

The Maumelle Animal Shelter said in a Facebook post last week that everyone involved was OK, saying “snakes and other critters can find their way into dark, enclosed spaces—especially helmets, shoes, bags, boxes, and other items that are left outside or sitting undisturbed.”

“Before putting on your helmet, shoes, gloves, or any outdoor gear, always give it a quick check first,” the animal shelter said in its post. “It only takes a few seconds and could prevent a very scary encounter—or worse.”