A Florida Football Star Was Murdered After A Big Homecoming Game

Sept. 26, 2008 was homecoming at Pahokee High School — home of the Blue Devils — and senior linebacker Norman “Pooh” Griffith was having a spectacular night. The big plays and quarterback sacks led the Blue Devils to a win that night, and Griffith had plans to attend a dance in the neighboring town of Belle Glade after the game.

The relationship between Pahokee and Belle Glade was tense; there was an intense rivalry between the football powerhouses, and their annual Muck Bowl was looming. There had been rumors of fights and threats between students at the high schools, but the night was about to take a deadly turn.

Griffith and a friend were in a vehicle outside the Boys and Girls Club where the dance was being held when there was some kind of skirmish. Griffith, who was described by family and friends as a “good kid” tried to leave in his mother’s 2004 Dodge Durango.

Instead, shots rang out through the night, and Griffith was struck in the head as he tried to leave. The vehicle traveled a short distance before crashing into a pole.

The first officers on the scene found the football star with a bullet in his head. They attempted CPR until medics arrived, but Griffith died after being flown to a hospital.

As investigators canvassed the scene, they recovered 11 shell casings from two different weapons — a .380 and a .40 caliber handgun.

There were multiple witnesses who had been milling around when the shooting broke out. Initially, investigators believed that the shooting was related to the football rivalry because Griffith was wearing Pahokee colors when he arrived at the dance. Police learned from the witnesses that there had been a short teen with dreadlocks as well as another teen with a black t-shirt and black bandana over his face.

Meanwhile, an autopsy revealed that it was one of the .380 slugs that ultimately took Griffith’s life. The shooting rocked the tight-knit community as they waited for answers on what had happened. As dozens of witnesses were interviewed, cops began to hear a common name and zeroed in on their suspect.

The true culprit, however, was more shocking and closer to home than the Griffith family could have ever imagined.

Find out who killed Pooh Griffith on Murder Under The Friday Night Lights on ID on Dec. 14 at 10/9c. More episodes are available now on discovery+.