Cardi B’s ‘B-Word’ Comment on IG Live Blowup Hits as Dad Says 4-Year-Old NFL Picks Star Got Death Threats | NFL News
A 4-year-old who went viral for NFL picks is now dealing with adult-level ugliness. Her father says strangers sent their family death threats and money demands after her playoff predictions missed. The Los Angeles Times reported the threats. The New York Post also reported the same basic claim.Reese Donatelli became a social media hit through “Trust the Toddler,” a father-daughter series where she chooses winners by grabbing miniature NFL helmets. It started as a teaching tool. Then gamblers turned it into their personal excuse.
A father-daughter gimmick turned into a gamblers’ meltdown, and the threats got real fast
Anthony Donatelli, a radio personality from Riverside, Calif., told the Los Angeles Times the family started getting threatening messages after Reese’s picks went sideways during the playoffs. Some messages demanded money from people who claimed they lost thousands because they followed a preschooler’s picks.Donatelli summed it up in one line: “It’s nuts,” then spelled out the obvious: “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.”That context matters because the backlash tried to treat her like a handicapper. During the first weekend of this month’s playoff games, several of Reese’s picks missed, and some followers started calling her picks “cursed.” Donatelli told the Los Angeles Times the series began nearly four years ago when he bought the mini helmets to teach colors, geography, and football. He said the concept stuck immediately.He described the early “aha” moment to the outlet: “It just clicked. I would put the match-ups of who was going to play that week in front of her, and for the past four years, she’s been calling football games. And she’s been pretty dang good at it,” he said.Then the playoffs hit and the streak flipped. One report said Reese guessed the wrong team for all six games during the first week of the playoffs. The next week, she went 1-for-9, with incorrect picks that included the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears.Some people tried to keep it as a joke, at least on the surface. The Independent noted one Instagram user joked they bet “$10 million on Houston because of her,” adding they are now “more in debt than the U.S. government.” Another user pushed back on the entire idea of following her picks, writing: “If [you’re] letting a kid pick your parlays you shouldn’t be betting.”But Donatelli said it did not stay in “comment section comedy.” The family allegedly received threats. And his Instagram was set to private at the time of publication, per The Independent.
Cardi B ’s ‘little white girl’ comment went viral too, but she walked it back right away
The story picked up extra heat when Cardi B weighed in. The Independent reported she jumped on Instagram Live after Reese picked the New England Patriots to win, and Cardi B joked: “little white girl said we’re going to win. F** that, b***,” then immediately apologized, saying, “I didn’t mean to say that.”That moment mattered because it put a spotlight on the kid, not just the gimmick. It also tied the viral picks to a celebrity clip that people could repost and argue about. In the same reporting, Cardi B is referenced as being linked to New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs.There was also a twist the internet did not know what to do with. The Independent reported Reese’s Patriots pick was correct, with New England beating Houston 28–16 to advance to the AFC Championship.Donatelli tried to keep his own page light, at least publicly. After Reese hit the Patriots result, he wrote: “The curse has been reversed.” That line played into the joke. It also highlighted how ridiculous the blame game was in the first place.Here is what does not require debate. A 4-year-old does not control a playoff game. A 4-year-old does not owe gamblers refunds. If someone bets real money because a preschooler grabbed a helmet on camera, that is not “bad luck.” That is reckless behavior dressed up as fandom.
