Deadspin reporter blasted by mom of young Kansas City Chiefs fan he falsely shamed for wearing ‘blackface’: ‘He is Native American’

The mother of a young football fan who wore a headdress and painted his face red and black to a Kansas City Chiefs game has blasted Deadspin for accusing him of “doubling up” on racism against black and Native communities — noting that her son is himself Native American. Holden Armenta became an unexpected focus of an article by senior writer Carron Phillips that focused on a photo of the boy standing sideways, suggesting he was wearing blackface with no mention of the red side. “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress,” read the headline, which accused the boy of “doubling up on the racism.” Phillips, a former New York Daily News reporter, also slammed Holden’s Native American headdress and his “Tomahawk Chop” gesture, claiming the boy “found a way to hate Black people and Native Americans at the same time.” “It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once,” Phillips wrote in the article, which has since been tagged with a community note on X branding it “purposely deceiving.” Deadspin Senior Writer Carron Phillips accused the boy of “doubling up on the racism.” @carronJphillips / X Phillips published a screengrab from CBS’ coverage of the game showing only half of Holden Armenta’s face painted black. Deadline screenshot “This is what happens when you ban books, stand against Critical Race Theory, and try to erase centuries of hate,” he wrote. “You give future generations the ammunition they need to evolve and recreate racism better than before.” The boy’s outraged mother, Shannon Armenta, shared numerous images of her son getting a warm reception at the game — while suggesting Deadspin focused on a photo that hid the fact that half her son’s face was painted red. “This has nothing to do with the NFL,” she wrote, suggesting the photo was picked purely “to create division” “He is Native American — just stop already,” she wrote of her son. The picture did not show that the other half of his face was painted red. Shannon Armenta / Facebook In fact, Holden’s grandfather, Raul Armenta, sits on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez, California, according to the Post Millennial. Raul is listed as a “business committee member” who was first elected to the board in 2016 on the tribe’s website. “He looks forward to continuing the legacy of building a solid economic foundation for future generations of the Chumash tribe,” it reads. Holden Armenta’s mother, Shannon, posted on Facebook that her son is Native American. Shannon Armenta / Facebook A community note has since been added to posts sharing the Deadspin article on X. “The kid is not wearing ‘blackface,’” it says. “The Deadspin article is purposely deceiving as several fans in attendance noted the other half of his face is painted red.” Yet Phillips reportedly doubled down on his claim in a since-deleted X post. “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,” he wrote in the post, according to the Post Millennial. “Y’all are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco [de Mayo].” In his piece about Armenta, Phillips also blamed the National Football League for allowing racism. Shannon Armenta / Facebook In his piece about Armenta, Phillips also blamed the National Football League. “If the NFL had outlawed the chop at Chiefs games and been more aggressive in changing the team’s name, then we wouldn’t be here,” he wrote. “While it isn’t the league’s responsibility to stop racism and hate from being taught in the home, they are a league that has relentlessly participated in prejudice.” The Post has reached out to Phillips, Deadspin, and Shannon Armenta for comment.