9-year-old Chiefs fan Holden Armenta speaks out for the first time against the false blackface and cultural appropriation accusations made by a racist Deadspin journalist.
The Gateway Pundit highlighted the recent developments, revealing the one-sided narrative pushed by Deadspin’s Carron Phillips, who mistakenly accused the child of racial insensitivity.
On Sunday, during the Kansas City Chiefs versus Las Vegas Raiders game, Phillips took to social media to allege that Holden exhibited hatred towards both Black people and Native Americans by wearing blackface and a Native headdress. Despite his claims, the portrayal was not only false but misled the public regarding the child’s intentions and heritage.
“It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once. But on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, a Kansas City Chiefs fan found a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time.” Carron Phillips wrote in the article.
“The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress,” Deadspin writer Carron Phillips wrote.
“They’re doubling up on the racism. Are you going to say anything, Roger Goodell?” he said.
Imagine trying to purposefully ruin a child’s life with a hit piece that is intentionally misleading.
Shame on @carronJphillips and @Deadspin https://t.co/DTeH6RsFS3 pic.twitter.com/dmOedcs2Cv
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 28, 2023
Carron Phillips actually tried to defend his article and doubled down on his attack on the innocent child.
“For the idiots in my mentions who are treating this as some harmless act because the other side of his face was painted red, I could make the argument that it makes it even worse,” Phillips said on X in a since-deleted post.
Carron Phillips is not only a coward for bullying a child. He disabled the comments to his tweet. Stunning and brave.
After defaming a little boy, Carron Philips has finally deleted the deranged tweet where he doubled down.
He must’ve lawyered up. pic.twitter.com/n6oqSuxl70
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 28, 2023
Facebook group of Chiefs supporters, Real KC Chiefs Fans, revealed the truth behind the face paint, including the fact that Holden is actually of authentic Native American descent, belonging to the Chumash tribe, with his grandfather serving on the Tribe board in Santa Ynez.
“During Sunday’s broadcast Holden A. from California, a Native of the Chumash Tribe. His Grandfather is on the Chumash Tribe board up in Santa Ynez. This is his family at Super Bowl LVII. Everyone is making a massive deal out of this, only trying to show one side of his face to push their narrative. Real Kansas City Chiefs Fans Salute You Holden And Your Family,” according to the post.
Shannon Armeta came forward on Facebook and confirmed that Holden is her son and is Native American. Moreover, he is a popular figure at the Chiefs’ games.
“Everyone asked to take a photo with him. He’s Native American – people are ridiculous,” Shannon wrote.
The most interesting thing is that neither Deadspin nor the racist writer have updated or retracted the entire article.
During a heartfelt conversation with Jesse Watters on Wednesday night, Holden and his father, Bubba Armenta, were given a platform to share their side of the story.
Bubba expressed his deep-seated frustration and distress over seeing his son targeted by unfounded accusations, while Holden conveyed some nervousness amidst the attention but also a sense of pride for his heritage and love for his team.
“I was mad, upset, upset for him. Mad that he’s upset. He’s pretty devastated. I mean, he’s seen the videos and everything posted. He’s excited. He’s all over. It was his dream to get on the jumbotron, and I’ve had family and friends call and, ‘Oh, we saw you on Sunday Night Football.’ So he’s excited, but then everything else came up, and it’s been a little bit of a spiral,” Bubba Armenta told Jesse Watters.
Both father and son conveyed little interest in an apology from Deadspin, emphasizing that the true issue at hand was the unwarranted defaming of a young child’s character.
Holden, a true fan of football who plays both wide receiver and free safety, found himself unexpectedly at the center of a media storm. Yet, he remains positive thanks to the outpouring of support from the Chiefs community.
“It’s okay, 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,” said Holden, who asked his dad if he can paint his face black and red before live.