Young Kansas City Chiefs fan labeled racist by Deadspin reporter speaks out: ‘It’s a little scary’ 

The 9-year-old football fan who attracted the ire of a Deadspin reporter for wearing a headdress and painting his face for a Sunday night Kansas City Chiefs game described the new-found attention as “a little scary” on Tuesday. 

Holden Armenta’s Chiefs fandom caused a stir after Carron Phillips, a senior writer for the sports outlet, accused the boy on Monday of finding “a way to hate Black people and the Native Americans at the same time” and showing up in “Black face” to the prime-time NFL game. 

Armenta had painted his face in red and black – two of the Chief’s four team colors – but Phillips fixated on a photo showing only the black side of the youngster’s visage, and his column went viral. 

“It’s OK 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,” Armenta told Fox News host Jesse Watters in his first public remarks since Phillips accused him of “doubling up” on racism.

The boy’s father, Bubba Armenta, told Watters that his son was initially “excited” that his outfit got him on the Arrowhead Stadium Jumbotron but that it’s “been a little bit of a spiral” since the Deadspin column was published. 

“It’s been a lot. It’s been a pretty crazy couple of days. I was mad, upset for him. I’m mad that he’s upset. He’s pretty devastated. I mean, he’s seen the videos and everything posted,”  Bubba Armenta said.   

“It was his dream to get on the Jumbotron. And I’ve had family and friends call and [say] ‘Oh, we saw you on Sunday night football.’ So, he’s excited. But then everything else came up,” the father added. 

When asked by Watters if he wants an apology from Phillips, Bubba said, “It’s a little too late for that.” 

“The damage is already done. It’s, you know, worldwide. Now there’s comments all over, 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 Americans or any tribes,” he said. 

“It’s a 9-year-old boy supporting his team,” Bubba added. 

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 Post Millennial.

While he may be a little rattled by the controversy and attention, Holden vowed to continue wearing the red and black face paint to future Chiefs games. 

The organization banned the wearing of headdresses and “any face paint that is styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions” in 2020. 

It’s unclear if the boy’s outfit Sunday night was in violation of the team’s fan code of conduct. A representative for the team did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.