TACOMA, Wash. — What happened to a little friendly rivalry?
“They should not discriminate against her. She’s 5 years old,” said a very upset grandmother of an elementary school girl in Tacoma, Wash.
The 5-year-old, Zyliah, is a die-hard Denver Broncos fan.
“Well, her teacher happens to be an avid Seahawks fan,” said the grandmother, Fawn Allen.
Friday is “Blue Friday” at her elementary school in Tacoma.
“She should be able to wear whatever she wants to wear on ‘Blue Friday,’” Allen said.
On Friday, Zyliah donned her Broncos blue. Visiting the school a visit, Allen was confronted by a very upset child.
“She walked up to me and I knew something was wrong,” Allen said. “She just kind of put her head down and said, ‘Grandma, Mrs. Watson told me I can’t wear my Broncos dress. If I don’t have a Seahawks shirt I have to wear my uniform.’”
The teacher said it’s Seattle blue or bust.
“We trust her to … this teacher every day, to teach her, to protect her, to build up her self-esteem not tear her down because of a football game,” Allen said.
A visit to the principal’s office cleared the matter up.
“Said that’s not our policy. Our policy is that they can wear whatever they want to to represent their team,” Allen said.
But not before this little fan learned a valuable lesson: Sometimes having a little Broncos pride might bring you to tears.
The Tacoma School District issued a statement that said:
“The teacher didn’t understand the full scope of what ‘Blue Friday’ means and sought clarification from the principal. ‘Blue Friday’ means all teachers and students can wear gear from whatever team they want.”