- Holden Armenta, 9, was filmed getting dressed for a football game against the Las Vegas Raiders two Sundays ago in Las Vegas
The family of a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan who was beaten by a Deadspin reporter for wearing a Native American headdress at a game is threatening to sue the publication’s publisher for defamation.
The legal threat was expressed in a scathing letter to publisher G/O Media and Great Hill Partners that the boy’s parents sent less than a week after the blog published an article accusing their son of racial insensitivity.
The article, written by Carron J. Phillips, insisted that Holden Armenta exhibited racist behavior by donning the clothing during an away game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, November 26th.
Phillip’s claims – which included that the child had “found a way to hate black people” by painting half of his face jet black in support of his team – quickly went viral and his article was shared online for the world could see him.
Armenta’s parents, Shannon and Raul, are now demanding that the sports site and its senior writer issue an immediate retraction — or face the wrath of the same law firm that helped Dominion Voting secure a $787 million settlement against Fox News to achieve.
Holden Armenta, 9, was filmed getting dressed for a football game against the Las Vegas Raiders two Sundays ago in Las Vegas
Former Daily News reporter Carron J. Phillips could be sued after insisting the boy was exhibiting racist behavior by wearing the headdress and had “found a way to hate black people.” He painted half of his face jet black to support his team
Part of the letter from lawyers at Clare Locke LLP, who specialize in defamation cases, cites the confluence of media spread by the famously progressive news site that promoted the controversial article.
Viewed by NewsNation, it reportedly states, “These articles, posts on X, and photos about Holden and his parents must be retracted immediately.”
The correspondence pointed to a now-deleted X post defending Phillips’ post and continued: “It’s not enough to quietly tweet from
“You must publish your contradictions and apologize to my clients with the same prominence and fanfare with which you defamed them,” it concludes.
A timeline regarding the ultimatum was not given – although it comes as Phillips’ article titled “NFL Must Speak Out Against Kansas City Chief Fans Wearing Blackface and Native Headdress” continues to garner attention.
As of Monday, the story remains as it was published — without an update released Thursday that revealed that a Native American tribe had distanced itself from the nine-year-old.
Less than 48 hours earlier, Shannon Argenta took to her personal Facebook page to address the criticism her son faced, revealing that he was Native American and a member of the federally recognized Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.