Leftists reluctantly address ‘Racist NFL Fan’ story after legal pressure, opt for an evasive approach
Despicable Leftists Finally Update ‘Racist NFL Fan’ Story After Legal Threats, Take Coward’s Way Out
The far-left dumpster fire sports and culture blog that calls itself Deadspin has finally updated a story it published last month in which it attempted to cancel a young child at an NFL game for painting his face and wearing a headdress in support of his favorite team – the Kanas City Chiefs.
Nine-year-old Holden Armenta was the subject of a volley of hatred after Deadspin’s Caron J. Phillips (pronounced Karen) went on a tantrum and deceptively shared an image of the boy, whose face was painted equal parts red and black.
Phillips’ and his editors chose only to show the side of Armenta’s face that was painted black and the blog trashed him as a racist.
“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,” Phillips wrote of the child.
Added, Phillips, “This is what happens when you ban books, stand against Critical Race Theory, and try to erase centuries of hate.”
Not only is Armenta a child, but it was later revealed that he is himself Native American.
Those two facts, coupled with the reality that he was wearing war paint and not blackface, should have seen the outlet apologize and retract the botched hit piece.
But for nearly two weeks, Deadspin dug in and refused to acknowledge that the story was both factually wrong and that attacking children is morally reprehensible.
Earlier this week, Holden’s family threatened to sue Deadspin.
On Wednesday, the law firm Clare Locke LLP sent a letter to Deadspin and its parent company G/O Media that demanded a retraction – or else.
“These Articles, posts on X, and photos about Holden and his parents must be retracted immediately,” a letter obtained by NewsNation read. “It is not enough to quietly remove a tweet from X or disable the article from Deadspin’s website. You must publish your retractions and issue an apology to my clients with the same prominence and fanfare with which you defamed them.”
Thursday, Deadspin suddenly had a change of heart and decided to update the story.
It is being reported that the parents of the nine-year-old that were RUTHLESSLY ACCUSED of wearing blackface are preparing to SUE Deadspin!!!!
SUE THEM FOR EVERYTHING!!!! pic.twitter.com/CsTeS8OrLm
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) December 4, 2023
It’s fascinating how quickly people will bend when threatened with being sued into oblivion.
The outlet issued an update to the story and added an editor’s note that removed any mention of Armenta being a child.
Additionally, Deadspin claimed it had no idea Holden was wearing war paint when it branded him a racist – despite the fact that images of his full face were publicly available when Phillips attacked him.
The portion of the article that attacked the child now states, “It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once. But on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, someone in the stands at the Kansas City Chiefs game found a way, leading to lots of unanswered questions.”
Meanwhile, Deadpsin’s editor’s posted the following note to the article:
“On Nov. 27, Deadspin published an opinion piece criticizing the NFL for allowing a young fan to attend the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 26 wearing a traditional Native American headdress and, based upon the available photo, what appeared to be black face paint…
“Unfortunately the article drew attention to the fan, though our intended focus was on the NFL and its checkered history on race, an issue which our writer has covered extensively for Deadspin.”
Deadspin’s response was just to pretend that Phillips did not intend to attack a small child, but meant to target the NFL.
The update added:
“We regret any suggestion that we were attacking the fan. To that end, our story was updated on Dec. 7 to remove any photos, tweets, links, or otherwise identifying information about the fan. We have also revised the headline to better reflect the substance of the story.”
The entire premise of Deadspin’s article was the picture of the fan
Now the outlet says “unfortunately the article drew attention to the fan”
They think you’re stupid https://t.co/OS657sq2hz
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) December 8, 2023
The cowards at Deadspin used a deceptively edited photo of a small child to rip him as a racist. Now the blog claims it was all a big misunderstanding.
It’s okay to get things wrong and it’s okay to apologize for it.
What Deadspin has done here is cowardly. The blog’s editorial team obviously felt threatened.
But rather than just retract a factually false hit piece on a child, Deadspin opted to retool it to such a degree that Phillips’ original point lacks both teeth and context.
It also lacks a formal apology that nine-year-old Holden is owed and should receive – even if a court has to force it out of everyone who was involved in dragging his good name through the mud.
The post Despicable Leftists Finally Update ‘Racist NFL Fan’ Story After Legal Threat
How did Deadspin respond to the legal threats regarding their inaccurate representation of the child?
Ion that the child was a racist, which was the result of inaccurately representing the full context of the image. We apologize for any harm caused to the child and his family.”
While it’s good that Deadspin finally made the update and acknowledged their mistake, it’s hard to ignore the fact that it took legal threats for them to do so. This demonstrates the cowardice of the far-left media outlet, who were more than willing to attack a young child without considering the consequences.
It’s also worth noting the hypocrisy of Deadspin and Caron J. Phillips in their attempt to frame the child as a racist. They claimed that the child’s actions were disrespectful to both Black people and Native Americans, yet failed to acknowledge that the child himself is Native American. This blatant disregard for facts undermines the credibility of both the author and the outlet.
Furthermore, the insistence on equating the child’s war paint with blackface is both unfounded and offensive. War paint is a traditional and cultural practice, whereas blackface has a long history of racist connotations. To equate the two is a harmful misrepresentation and shows a lack of understanding and respect for Native American culture.
The fact that Deadspin dug in and refused to acknowledge their mistake for nearly two weeks is deeply troubling. Attacking and smearing a child is morally reprehensible, especially when the outlet knew they were peddling false information. It was only when faced with the potential of a lawsuit that they decided to update the story and issue an apology.
This incident serves as yet another example of the unscrupulous tactics employed by certain media outlets. Instead of upholding journalistic integrity and reporting the truth, they choose to push their own distorted narratives and attack individuals without any regard for the consequences. It is a sad state of affairs when the pursuit of a political agenda outweighs basic decency and ethical standards.
Fortunately, in this case, the family of young Holden Armenta took a stand and threatened legal action. Their determination to defend their son against false accusations should be commended. It sends a clear message that individuals and families will not tolerate the unjust vilification and smearing of their loved ones.
As for Deadspin, it is imperative that they reflect on this incident and make a genuine effort to restore their credibility. Issuing a retraction and an apology is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. They must address the underlying issues within their organization that allowed such a baseless attack on a child to occur in the first place.
In conclusion, the Despicable Leftists at Deadspin finally updated their story after being threatened with a lawsuit. It is shameful that it took legal action for them to acknowledge their mistake and issue an apology. This incident highlights the cowardice and lack of integrity within certain media outlets, as well as the importance of individuals standing up against false accusations. It is a reminder that the pursuit of a political agenda should never justify attacking and smearing innocent individuals, especially children.
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