Colts Fans Boo Patriots Girl for Wearing Jersey
Colts fans booed 14-year-old Anna Grant, but now she's going to the playoffs.
Jan. 18, 2008 — -- Football fan rivalry runs deep, but this week, many people say fan support went too far.
A 14-year-old girl was booed by Colts fans at Sunday's game in Indianapolis while being honored for winning the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition, because she was wearing a jersey from the New England Patriots — the Colts' hated rivals.
High school freshman Anna Grant from Stratford, N.H., is now enjoying newfound fame and football tickets.
She joined "Good Morning America" today wearing the Patriots jersey that got her so much attention last weekend.
Grant was on the field in Indianapolis because she won the nationals for her 14-15 age group in the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition. Grant beat out 32 others to become a finalist and is a four-time veteran of the event. She grew up playing football with her dad and brothers and says the competition is something she's "always done as a hobby."
Colts fans went nuts though when they saw Grant wearing a Patriots jersey. She says she wasn't so surprised because she knows her hometown team is Indianapolis' biggest rival.
"My mom and dad were like, 'You know this might happen.' Since I was expecting it, I just didn't let it get to me. The boy next to me was like, 'Are they booing right now?' And I was like 'Yeah.'"
"Right after I walked off the field, all the volunteers were worried, asking 'Are you OK? They were booing at you!' And I was like 'It's OK.'"
The born-and-raised Patriots fan is now enjoying the sympathy of the entire team. This week she received a phone call from Andrew Tippett, the team's community affairs director and former linebacker.
Tippet invited Grant, her parents and her two brothers to the AFC Championship in Foxborough this weekend. She'll be part of the coin toss and sit in the owner's box with owner Robert Kraft.
"What I decided is that we would honor her here before this game. We will recognize her as the winner on the field. Our fans will know," Kraft said in an interview earlier this week.
