The family of a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan has filed a lawsuit against Deadspin, claiming defamation and irreversible damage caused by an article alleging the boy wore “blackface.” The lawsuit, filed in Delaware, accuses Deadspin of painting the family as racists and engaging in the worst kind of racist conduct. The controversy stemmed from a photo of the boy at a game with his face painted half black and half red, resembling the Chiefs’ team colors. The article by senior writer Caron Phillips accused the boy of disrespecting two groups of people at once. The family demanded a retraction and apology from Deadspin, which quietly amended the story but did not issue an apology. The legal action seeks unspecified damages and other remedies deemed just by the court. The family claims they have faced a barrage of hate and death threats as a result of the article. The boy’s parents shared that the boy himself is Native American and that the article was part of a race-baiting agenda by Deadspin. The lawsuit aims to set the record straight and hold Deadspin accountable for spreading incendiary lies about a child as a vehicle for its agenda. Despite the quiet amendment by Deadspin, the family believes the damage has already been done, with the boy and his family facing online harassment and threats.
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