Parents of a young Kansas City Chiefs fan — who was accused of “blackface” by Deadspin — are threatening to sue the magazine and reporter after the writer blasted the little fan who painted his face half red and half black for the team’s last game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Holden Armenta’s parents, Shannon and Raul ‘Bubba,’ have hired Clare Locke LLP to demand a retraction to its story with a headline that read, “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress,” NewsNation reported.
In a letter obtained by the outlet, the Armentas wrote that, “These articles, posts on X and photos about Holden and his parents must be retracted immediately.”
“It is not enough to quietly remove a tweet from X or disable the article from Deadspin’s website,” the letter added. “You must publish your retractions and issue an apology to my clients with the same prominence and fanfare with which you defamed them.”
The outlet also noted that the Chiefs fan’s family have threatened further action against the author Carron J. Phillips, Deadspin, G/O Media, and Great Hill Partners.
Last week, Holden and his father appeared on “Jesse Watters Prime Time” to discuss the fan being in the spotlight following allegations of racism from Phillips.
“It’s been a lot. It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days,” Bubba said. “I was mad, upset for him. I’m mad that he’s upset. He’s pretty devastated. I mean, he’s seen the videos and everything posted.”
Armenta’s father also said it was “too late” for an apology from Phillips.
“The damage is already done,” Bubba said. “It’s, you know, worldwide. Now there’s comments all over, there’s, you know, disrespect towards Native Americans and towards my family. We never in any way, shape or form meant to disrespect any Native Americans or any tribes.”
Watters then asked Holden how he was holding up.
EXCLUSIVE: The 9-year-old Chiefs fan, who was falsely smeared as a racist for supporting his team, speaks out on Primetime.
Holden Armenta says this whole thing has been scary and overwhelming. His father, Bubba, says it’s too late for an apology- the damage is already done. pic.twitter.com/8T4WsMsvm6
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) November 30, 2023
“It’s OK because a lot of kids at school are getting excited, but it’s starting to get me a little nervous because if they go a little bit overboard, it’s a little scary,” Holden said.
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Holden’s mom later took to Facebook and defended her son, calling out the sports blog.
“This has nothing to do with the NFL,” Shannon Armenta wrote. “Also, CBS showed him multiple times and this is the photo people chose to blast to create division. He is Native American — just stop already.”
Holden is from an American Indian family, and his grandfather is on the board of the Chumash tribe in Santa Ynez, California, according to The Post Millennial.
Related: ‘It’s A Little Scary’: Young Chiefs Fan Reacts ‘Blackface’ Accusations After Painting Face For Game