Parents of Young Chiefs Fan Threaten to Sue Deadspin for Accusing the 9-Year-Old of Wearing Blackface

David Becker/AP

The parents of a young Kansas City Chiefs fan are threatening to sue Deadspin after the publication accused the child of wearing blackface at a game, the New York Post reported Monday.

During the Chiefs’ Nov. 26 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, 9-year-old Holden Armenta was seen in the crowd sporting a Native American headdress with black and red face paint. The images sparked outrage online, with some claiming Holden offended both the Native American and black communities.

That led to a scathing article from Deadspin writer Carron J. Phillips, who said the child “found a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time” and it was “beyond a bad look” for the NFL.

Shannon Armenta — Holden’s mother — then took to Facebook to accuse Phillips of trying to “create division.” She also clarified that her son is Native American.

In a statement, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, of which the family is affiliated, said it “does not endorse wearing regalia as part of a costume or participating in any other type of cultural appropriation.”

Holden’s parents have since hired Clare Locke LLP and demanded Deadspin “issue a retraction” for Phillips’ story.

“These articles, posts on X and photos about Holden and his parents must be retracted immediately,” Locke said in a letter, as reported by the Post.

“It is not enough to quietly remove a tweet from X or disable the article from Deadspin’s website. You must publish your retractions and issue an apology to my clients with the same prominence and fanfare with which you defamed them.”

In a now-deleted tweet, Phillips doubled down and called people “idiots” for “treating this as some harmless act.”