Dad Speaks Out After 4-Year-Old Daughter Receives Death Threats Over Viral NFL Picks (Exclusive)
- - Dad Speaks Out After 4-Year-Old Daughter Receives Death Threats Over Viral NFL Picks (Exclusive)
Jordan GreeneJanuary 27, 2026 at 1:24 AM
2
A stock image of an NFL football
Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty
A California father says his family began receiving death threats after videos of his 4-year-old daughter’s NFL playoff predictions went viral
The lighthearted father-daughter tradition had been shared online for years, but backlash intensified once the playoffs began and viewers objected to her picks
Speaking to PEOPLE, the father says the videos were meant to be harmless fun and that the family is now stepping back to protect their daughter
What began as a lighthearted NFL tradition between a father and his 4-year-old daughter took a disturbing turn.
Anthony Donatelli says his family began receiving death threats after videos of his daughter, Reece, sharing her playoff predictions went viral. A Riverside, Calif., local, Donatelli told the Los Angeles Times that Reece — who loves football — has been making the picks on his social media accounts for years.
But during this year's NFL playoffs, the tone of the response shifted. Viewers unhappy with Reece’s predictions began flooding the posts with hateful messages, the outlet reported.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Donatelli says his family has been left shaken by the experience.
"We’re just very sad right now with the negative turn this has taken for our family," Donatelli says. "Our only intention was to create something lighthearted that might get parents and kids interested in the sport that we love so much — football."
Stock image of the NFL logo
Derick E. Hingle/Getty
Looking ahead, he adds that he and Reece will continue making picks, but in a different way. "It’s just going to be something special between dad & daughter from now on.
“It’s nuts,” Donatelli told the L.A Times. “She’s obviously not an NFL analyst. She’s picking teams based on the color of her dress, or she’ll pick the Packers because she likes cheese. She just relates these silly little things as reasons why she picks certain teams.”
The backlash intensified after a clip drew attention online, including a reaction from Cardi B during an Instagram Live. The rapper, whose boyfriend Stefon Diggs is a wide receiver on the Patriots, briefly criticized Reece’s prediction before apologizing moments later, saying she did not mean to make the comment.
Stock image of NFL football Scott Cunningham/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He added how people also reached out to him, saying he owed them thousands of dollars because her daughter's predictions were wrong.
“I’m not here to fight fire with fire. I’m not angry,” he told the L.A Times. “We don’t want anybody or anything to ruin what Reese and I have created and how we bond.”
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
