Kansas City Chiefs ban American Indian-themed face paint and headdresses at stadium; will review 'Arrowhead Chop'

The Kansas City Chiefs team announced new policies at their stadium meant to prevent fans from donning costumes and face paint that might offend American Indians, including the use of the "Arrowhead Chop."

The NFL championship team made the announcement of the new policies in a statement on Thursday.

"In 2014, we began a dialogue with a group of local leaders from diverse American Indian backgrounds and experiences. As an organization, our goal was to gain a better understanding of the issues facing American Indian communities in our region and explore opportunities to both raise awareness of American Indian cultures and celebrate the rich traditions of tribes with a historic connection to the Kansas City area," the statement explained.

The team went on to recount how they had previously discouraged fans from wearing ceremonial headdresses and American Indian-themed face paint at Arrowhead Stadium, but had come to the conclusion that more measures were necessary.

They said the new policies were developed with "a national organization that works closely on issues affecting American Indian people and tribes."

In addition to an outright ban on Native American themed face paint and headdresses, the team said they would review the "Arrowhead chop," a fan chant that includes a chopping action with the arm.

"We are grateful for the meaningful conversations we have had with all of these American Indian leaders," the statement concluded.

The action comes ahead of a season that will likely see a much greater degree of politicization in the wake of the protests and riots as a result of the death of George Floyd while in police custody. The NFL has announced that players will be allowed to make political statements through the wearing of slogans and other insignia on their uniforms.

Also on Thursday the Chiefs announced that they would limit seating capacity at Arrowhead Stadium to 22% in order to preserve social distancing guidelines to stop the spread of the coronavirus