The family of a 9-year-old Chiefs fan is suing the sports blog Deadspin for defamation after the boy was accused of wearing blackface at a Nov. 26 game. According to the suit, the boy’s family wants an apology from Deadspin and for the article to be retracted.
The original headline referred to the boy, Holden Armenta, as a “Kansas City Chief’s fan in blackface, Native headdress.” Stating later in the article that he “found a way to hate Black people and Native Americans at the same time,” according to senior writer Carron Phillips.
Holden’s parents said Deadspin intentionally chose a photo that didn’t show the other side of their son’s face, which was painted red — the Chiefs’ primary color.
The family said after the picture was plastered online, they were exposed to a “barrage of hate including death threats.”
In the lawsuit, Holden’s parents called the article an “attack” to fit the writer’s “own race-drenched political agenda.”
Deadspin amended the story, removing the image of Holden and adding an editor’s note saying the attention wasn’t meant to be on the child, but rather the NFL for allowing fans to paint their faces and wear Native headdresses.
The headline now reads “The NFL Must Ban Native Headdress And Culturally Insensitive Face Paint in the Stands (UPDATED).”
The photo was taken at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. The Chiefs’ Arrow Head Stadium bans fans from wearing Native headdresses and face paint. The rules were enacted after the Chiefs’ staff received input from Native American tribes in 2014.
