A young Kansas City Chiefs fan, Holden Armenta, accused of ‘blackface,’ has responded to allegations, stating it’s “scary” after a reporter, Carron J. Phillips, labeled his face paint “racist.” Despite being Native American himself, Holden faced criticism for his face paint. Phillips initially shared a photo of the boy with half of his face painted black, but more pictures emerged showing him with half red and half black paint.
Defended themselves over racism accusations
His father, Bubba, addressed the claims in an interview, expressing his defiance against the accusations. “It’s OK because a lot of kids at school are getting excited but its starting to get me a little nervous, because if they go a little bit overboard, it’s a little scary,” said Holden.
“I mean he can do whatever he wants. He’s a great patriot, he’s a great American and he’s a great fan and everybody loves Holden, but Carron at Deadspin doesn’t. “You know. I don’t even know what to think about that. It’s a little bit too late for [an apology]. “The damage is already done. It’s worldwide… now there’s comments all over, there’s disrespect towards Native Americans and towards my family. We never in any way shape or form meant to disrespect any Native Americans or any tribes.”
Bubba explained that his son, whose family is a member of the Chumash tribe from California, had asked to paint his face as a sign of defiance before appearing on live television. He emphasized that their tribe does not wear the type of headdress seen in the pictures, referring to the headpiece worn at Arrowhead Stadium during the Chiefs’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
