The 9-year-old football fan who drew the ire of a Deadspin reporter for wearing a headscarf and face paint to Sunday night’s Kansas City Chiefs game described the new attention as “a little scary” on Tuesday.
Chief Holden Armenta’s fandom sparked an uproar after Carron Phillips, a senior writer for the sports outlet, accused the boy on Monday of finding “a way to hate black people and Native Americans at the same time” and appearing in “blackface” to prime time NFL game.
Holden had his face painted in red and black – two of the Chiefs’ four team colors – but Phillips stuck with a photo that showed only the black side of the youngster’s face, and his column went viral.
“It’s fine because a lot of kids at school are getting excited, but it’s starting to make me a little nervous because if they go overboard, it’s a little scary,” Holden told Fox News host Jesse Watters in his first public statement. since Phillips accused him of “doubling down” on racism.
The 9-year-old football fan revealed the huge amount of attention she got after wearing face paint and a hijab was “a little scary.” Shannon Armenta / Facebook
The boy’s father, Bubba Armenta, told Watters that his son was initially “thrilled” that his outfit got him onto the Arrowhead Stadium Jumbotron, but it’s “turned around a little bit” since the Deadspin column was published.
“It’s been a lot. It’s been a pretty crazy few days. I was angry, upset with him. I was angry that he was upset. He was pretty devastated. I mean, he’s seen the videos and everything that’s been posted,” Bubba said.
“It was his dream to get on the Jumbotron. And I have family and friends calling and [say], ‘Oh, we’ll see you at Sunday night football.’ So, he was excited. But then everything came up,” added his father.
The little boy painted his face red and black, but the picture showing only the black part ended up going viral. CBS
When asked by Watters if he wanted an apology from Phillips, Bubba said, “It’s a little late for that.”
“The damage is done. It’s, you know, worldwide. Now there’s comments everywhere, there’s, you know, disrespect towards Native Americans and towards my family. We never in any way, shape or form meant to disrespect any Native American or any tribe,” he said.
“It’s a 9-year-old boy rooting for his team,” added Bubba.
The reporter caused national attention after accusing the boy of finding “a way to hate black people and Native Americans at the same time.” Screenshot of the deadline
Holden’s mother, Shannon Armenta, revealed in a Facebook post that her son is Native American.
His grandfather, Raul Armenta, sits on the board of the Chumash Tribe in Santa Ynez, California, according to the Millennial Post.
While he may have been a little taken aback by the controversy and attention, Holden vowed to continue wearing red and black face paint for future Chiefs games.
A young Chiefs fan and his father spoke out about Fox, as his father said it was “a little too late” to apologize. FOX News
The organization banned the wearing of headdresses and “any face paint styled in a manner that references or conforms to American Indian culture and traditions” in 2020.
It’s unclear whether the boy’s attire Sunday night violated the team’s fan code of conduct. A representative for the team did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
