Parents of Chiefs’ little fan accused of blackface criticism threaten to sue Deadspin’s writer for slander as outrage grow

In a sports field, a player or a fan generally targets one another, or a security guard, yet in a recent scenario, a little Kansas City Chiefs fan named Holden Amanta was targeted by media following the KC team’s Week 12 game.  A reporter from the sports news site ‘Deadspin’ slandered the fan as “racist” by selectively sharing a side image of him.

Already, the fans became furious with the reporter’s intentional hit on a little fan while the fan’s parents decided to go further to seek justice for their 9-year-old boy.

Parents of Chiefs’ little fan threaten to sue liberal media over smears

The fan in question, Holden Armenta, adorned a headdress and face paint while cheering for his favorite team in the stadium. However, the left-wing publication Deadspin took a critical stance, alleging that Armenta’s actions were tantamount to promoting racism against both black people and Native Americans.

The Deadspin article, titled “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in blackface, Native headdress,” urged the NFL to publicly condemn Armenta for what they deemed an insult to African Americans through “blackface” and to Native Americans by appropriating a traditional tribal headdress. The controversy escalated when it was revealed that Armenta and his family are, in fact, Native American descendants.

In response to the backlash, Armenta’s parents, Shannon and Raul, enlisted the legal services of Clare Locke LLP, signaling a potential lawsuit against Deadspin. The attorneys sent a letter demanding a retraction of the article and a prominent apology from the outlet, according to the NY Post.

The Armenta family contends that Deadspin’s focus on a photo showing only half of Holden’s face painted black misrepresented the overall context, as other images revealed the other half painted red in support of the Chiefs.

“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.”

Prior to this, the mother of the young Chiefs fan took to sharing several heartwarming images capturing her son’s positive reception at the game. In an additional layer of support, the boy’s father stepped into the spotlight through an interview, vocalizing his stance in defense of his 9-year-old son. 

NFL community outraged over the news reporter

The sports news site has come under fire for Phillips’ article on the little Chiefs fan. Many of them also conveyed their grief for the little Chiefs fan, being an ugly target of the media as the reporter targeted a little kid who was totally unaware of the cultural implications of the get up.

“He’s a literal child — I am so sick of the media spinning everything with the race card.  The kid is wearing his teams colors, let him live.  Must be slow for news if they’re trying to bully a child,” one comment read. 

Some fans showcased their outrage, mentioning today’s media as so mean and cheap that to get attention and more clicks, they don’t like to spare a little kid.

“Perfect example of the media showing only what they want to. Trying to smear a CHILD, again. How much lower can they stoop?”, one fan dropped the comment. 

Though the reporter was vocal in the first instance, after learning Armenta’s family background, possibly he understood he hit the wrong door. Especially since Armenta’s father is a member of the Chumash Tribe’s board in Santa Ynez. This is another perfect reason for the fans’ outrage at the reporter.

What’s your take on the reporter’s meaningless shot at the young Chiefs fan?