File this one under ‘strange but true.’ A Steelers fan attended the training camp of the Indianapolis Colts in Anderson, Ind. and was forced to wear an Andrew Luck jersey by head coach Chuck Pagano (former Raven) after arriving in a black James Harrison jersey.
Pagano was alerted to the fan by Colts safety (and former Raven) Tom Zbikowski (anybody else noticing a pattern here?). The fan was told either to put on the Andrew Luck jersey or be asked to leave. I’m not positive if Pagano was being good natured or not, but given that the Steelers fan was able to meet Bruce Arians and Mewelde Moore after practice, I’d say it was all done in fun.
Still, it is pretty bizarre for a coach and a team to single out somebody in the crowd like that and even joke about forcing them to leave for donning another team’s colors. I’ve been to training camp in Latrobe dozens of times and can’t even fathom something like that occurring at Steelers training camp.
On a personal note, Colts training camp actually takes place at my alma mater Anderson University. There are always a handful of kids from western Pennsylvania who end up out there and I have to wonder if the (un)lucky fan was a displaced college student like I once was.
This isn’t something that you’d ever expect from the Colts, who have been one of the classiest organizations in the league for a long time. But Pagano developed a deep hatred for Pittsburgh while in Baltimore and coupled with Bruce Arians as his offensive coordinator, the Colts seem like they wouldn’t mind striking up a heated rivalry with Pittsburgh.
