If you haven’t heard already, Deadspin finds itself embroiled in yet another legal battle over alleged shoddy reporting and false accusations.
In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Delaware, the family of a 9-year-old Kansas City Chiefs fan has accused Deadspin of defamation stemming from an article published on November 27, 2023.
The piece, penned by writer Carron J. Phillips, falsely accused the child of donning “blackface” at a Chiefs game, prompting Phillips to brand the child and his family as racist.
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Despite being presented with photographic evidence showing that the child had his face painted half black and half red in support of the Chiefs, Phillips and Deadspin persisted in their stance.
Since the article’s publication, the family claims to have endured online harassment and death threats, while the child’s father has faced ostracism at work. Additionally, the child’s academic performance has suffered, and signs of emotional distress have surfaced.
To compound matters, Deadspin’s accusation of the family’s disrespect toward Native Americans backfired dramatically. It emerged that the child’s father is a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and works on the tribal reservation, while the child’s late grandfather was a revered tribe elder.
Deadspin’s refusal to retract or amend their false claims, even after being confronted with the truth, further exacerbated the situation.
The family seeks punitive damages for the harm inflicted. The full legal complaint can be accessed here.
Once celebrated as a prominent sports blog known for its impartiality 15-20 years ago, Deadspin has shifted its focus in recent years, becoming a platform for far-left opinions on sports. The site encountered financial troubles in 2016 following a lawsuit filed by Hulk Hogan over the publication of a private sex tape. After being bought out of bankruptcy by Univision in 2016, Deadspin was later sold to a private equity group in 2019, under the umbrella of G/O Media.
In a separate incident, Deadspin faced legal action from Trevor Bauer for disseminating false allegations about the pitcher.
