Quick Hit

The family of Holden Armenta, a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan, has filed a lawsuit against Deadspin, alleging defamation and irreversible damage caused by the outlet's accusation of the boy wearing "blackface". 

Key Details

• The lawsuit alleges that Deadspin's article falsely painted the Armenta family as anti-Black, anti-Native American bigots.
• The article in question included a photo of the boy, broadcasted on CBS Sports, appearing to wear blackface and a traditional Native American headdress, but failed to mention that the other half of his face was painted bright red, representing the Chiefs' team colors.
• The Armentas have demanded a retraction and apology from Deadspin, which the outlet has not provided, instead amending the story and expressing regret.

Diving Deeper

The lawsuit was filed in Delaware following weeks of legal threats by the Armentas. They demanded that Deadspin and its senior writer Caron Phillips issue a retraction for his story headlined "The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress." The Armentas claim that Deadspin and Phillips used the image to "maliciously and wantonly attack a nine-year-old boy and his parents for Phillips' own race-drenched political agenda."

Phillips' article, which has since been tagged with a community note on X branding it "purposely deceiving," sparked immediate controversy. The Armentas led the charge against Deadspin, sharing numerous pictures of Holden with his face clearly painted with two separate colors. They also revealed that Holden is Native American, with his grandfather sitting on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez, California.

Despite the Armentas' repeated demands for a retraction and apology, Deadspin did not comply. Instead, the outlet amended the story, removed the image of Holden, and included an editor's note expressing regret for any suggestion of attacking the boy. However, the family claims the damage was already done, with Holden receiving online threats and derogatory comments.

The lawsuit states, "Deadspin has gone too far. [Holden] should not have to live with his face being plastered on social media alongside false and defamatory accusations of racist conduct. His parents should not be forced to live with the false and defamatory allegation that they are teaching 'hate in the home.'" The Armentas are seeking unspecified damages and other "remedies as the Court may deem just and proper."