APSteelers fans travel really well. They travel so well that one of them showed up Monday at Colts practice wearing a Steelers jersey.
And while that may not be an issue if the Steelers fan had invaded Lucas Oil Stadium, Colts safety Tom Zbikowski and coach Chuck Pagano decided to take action.
According to the Associated Press, Pagano gave the Steelers fan and Andrew Luck jersey and a choice: Get it on, or get out.
“[Zbikowski] saw it and said, ‘Look Coach we got to do something about that,’” Pagano said. ”I went over there. He’s a huge [former Steelers and current Colts offensive coordinator Bruce] Arians fan, obviously, and [former Steelers and current Colts running back] Mewelde Moore. So with a little bit of coaching and a brand new Andrew Luck jersey, I said, ‘Look, you’ve got to put this jersey on. If you do it, you get to stay, if not we’ve got to escort you out of here.’”
The fan, Zach Simmons, says he wasn’t trying to cause trouble. ”I’m trying to get Bruce Arians and Mewelde Moore’s attention,” Simmons said. ”I am still kind of in shock, but it was pretty cool for my buddies I came with.”
For Zbikowski and Pagano, the sight of a Steelers jersey was more likely to trigger a negative reaction. Both men came from the Baltimore Ravens, bitter rivals of the Steelers in the AFC North.
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I’d have walked.
Go Steelers!
what a bunch of whooohooos…..and whooohaaas…
both pagano and zibwhateverski…
get over yourselves…gestapo sob’s…
is that what they told arians and Mewelde also, don’t ever talk about the steelers or anything about pittsburgh…don’t do it…
really show how jealous they are of the better afc north team…
suck it RATBIRDS!
if i was there in my dolphins jersey i would stand my ground. you cant walk someone out because of there jersey.
What a dumbass
In jest, Steeler Nation coming to your stadium this fall…and, your training camp this summer. On a serious note, take the jersey off or get kicked out? True Steelers would have kept the Steelers jersey on. And instead of a Luck jersey, you would have a nice lawsuit against Irsay AND a nice free trip to Latrobe when the moron Colts over-reaction hit the Internet!
A few years ago I wore a McNabb jersey to Cowboys camp in Oxnard. I took a lot of crap from the fans (they even chanted at me) but the players and coaches ignored me (as they should).
Can they really escort the Steelers fan out of a Colts TC for not wearing their jersey??
I got a good video of the whole Steelers to Colts makeover on my twitter. @bleedblue18
Awesome
Steeler fans stay trollin’
It wasn’t a “Hey we’re going to escort you out if you don’t remove your Steelers jersey”…it was all done in fun. WATCH THE VIDEO twitvid.com/XBUHC
Talk about insecure people.
Next time hand Peytonsneck18 over to them in case they run out of toilet paper!
And goddel wonders why the nfl is hurting. Who cares what he’s wearing
Opposing fans get far worse treatment at Steelers home games..get over yourself Neanderthal Steeler fans.
crybabies.
And Mike Tomlin gave a Colts fan a tinkle-causing staredown
Spinning it bad PFT.
The guy got to meet Arians and Moore and had a good time. Check the pix available.
And his Colts fan buddy got the jersey after.
I would have told them to get bent!
Strange rivalry, but I like the personal interaction with fans. We need more of that.
The absolute proof that Ravens – Steelers is the NFL’s best rivalry. Pagano and Zbikowski just could not help themselves. Still in their systems.
He should have taken the jersey- given it to one of his buddies… and then started a…
“Here we go Steelers, here we go!” …
As he walked out.
That would have been the best way to handle that. imo.
fr8eez says:
Jul 30, 2012 9:25 PM
what a bunch of whooohooos…..and whooohaaas…
both pagano and zibwhateverski…
get over yourselves…gestapo sob’s…
is that what they told arians and Mewelde also, don’t ever talk about the steelers or anything about pittsburgh…don’t do it…
really show how jealous they are of the better afc north team…
suck it RATBIRDS!
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Dear Steelers fans, guys like this are why the rest of the NFL fans think that you are all a bunch of turds.
# 1 you should be able to wear whatever jersey to whatever camp you want. I don’t understand where a coach gets off making that kind of threat to a fan of the league. # 2 it makes Pagano look petty and insecure. I understand the jist of Zib getting upset because he WAS a Raven and that is the most intense rivalry in the league right now but he’s a Colt now and his rivalry is with the AFC South now. # 3 the guy who showed up in the jersey was looking for attention and he got it. All the Colts did was play into this. The fans it’s one thing, fans will be fans but for the team to take aim at this guy, pathetic. # 4 if the guy was smart he would have negotiated that Andrew Luck jersey come with a signature. If he didn’t at least ask the guy is as dumb as showing up to the Colts camp in a Steelers jersey shows he is!
private property…they can do what they please.
That’s what real rivalries are made of. Even after they leave the Ravens, they still despise their rivals. Love it!!!!
Love it
And there you have it, typical bandwagon Stealers fan.
He is just a Stealers fan because they were out of Yankee jerseys at the Goodwill
Like most Steeler fans, this one just fell off the bandwagon
Pagano said on the local news that he was kidding he wasn’t really gonna kick the guy out if he didn’t change.
Loser STEELER fan. Go to your own camp. What a joke. Let’s sweep these losers again this year! Go Ravens!
yeah get that ugly black and gold crap outta there, you tell em chucky
Indianapolis Ravens.
I hope Pagano does well.
If he was joking around that’s one thing. If he seriously meant for him to leave, then he’s just being a little crybaby.
Good for Pagano! Stop acting like you’re offended by this, people. It was in good fun. Caldwell would have apologized to the guy for all of the blue and white in the area.
About 8 games into the season, Pagano and Zbi will be praying for Steeler fans to show up at their games to fill their half full stadium.
Silly Steeler fans they don’t even know where Steeler camp is.
I can’t believe that they can remove a fan of an opposing team if they are keeping to themselves and behaving, Its not right.
Way to represent, Zach Simmons!
lol steelers suckkk go browns
I’d have been more than happy to take that jersey. That’s 100 bucks I don’t have to spend. Even better if the jersey was higher quality than the painted ones.
What a bully! Lame..
I think this is awesome and shows a connection with the Colts fans. Kind of a team spirit thing rather then we are just here to do our X’s and O’s.
As for a couple of tough guy posts here talking about how they wouldn’t have taken it off and then said they would sue if kicked out- LOL real tough hiding behind that judges robe.
Steelers fans “travel well” ? What BS. More like they have bandwagon fans in every state. Funny how they didn’t “travel well” when I was a kid. True Steeler fans that actually live in (or have been to) Pittsburgh are great, but these obnoxious bandwagon fans give them a bad name.
If it’s a private facility they can do whatever they like. What kind of jagoff wears the wrong jersey to training camp anyway? Go visit your own team.
You know how the old saying goes, “players and coaches that pay attention to what the fans are doing will soon find themselves sitting among them”.
Way to keep your eye on the task at hand boys!
Icardfan is right on! Bandwagon jokes!
It just goes to show how much of a bandwagon team Pittsburgh is
Indy has more to worry about than what somebody in the stands might be wearing, don’t ya think ?
I think it’s hilarious. I also think its funny in all that talk somebody still took a stab at Peyton haha
Pretty pathetic of the colts to be this insecure. I hope the Colts go 2-14.
I was there, it was a joke, gm grigson was part of it too, but the steelers fan stuck out like a sore thumb, he was trailer park looking, typical Steelers fan, nice to have a lively coach than robot jim calldwell
its easy for “steeler fans” to travel well when their on the bandwagon.
why be THAT guy at an opposing teams trainning camp?
Should have taken it and tried to get Andrew luck to sign after he put it on, then sold it on e bay and called the news and made a huge commotion..
Even if they did escort him out for wearing a Steelers jersey, the fan would have no legal ground to sue the team. It’s like when a restaurants denies service to a customer, it’s private property and they have the right to do what they want with it as long as its not motivated by race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Great Video Kurtis….All done with good humor, and a nice gesture.
Maybe I’ll wear a Mark Sanchez jersey to Pats training camp to try and finagle a new Tom Brady jersey out of the team.
On second thought, I’ll probably just get laughed at with an occasional condescending noogie.
What was conveniently left out, is that Simmons agreed to the jersey swap, if he was able to meet Arians and Moore after practice. Of course, if it were me, I would have held out for a signed Andrew Luck jersey. Might be worth something someday, don’t you think?
I really don’t think he was going to kick him out. Well done to all involved for being a good sport about things.
Steelers fans rule. Best traveling fans in the world! There are Steelers bars anywhere you go in the world. We rule
Wow there ya go Colts fans now you know what your new coaching staff is really focusing on. lol What a bunch of losers.
Andrew Luck looks to have a lot of talent but the rest of that team is awful!
Technically the removal of a fan from camp should work like charging to go to camp. It means scouts can attend your workout.
When in Rome do as the Romans…. it is a game and what is a game without a little fun…
I once lost a bet and had to wear a Flacco jersey. Worse day of my life but I made it, and my skin didn’t fall off, nor did I convert to be a raven fan(which would have been slightly worse than my skin falling off) …
rayrayjr1284 says:
Jul 30, 2012 9:25 PM
if i was there in my dolphins jersey i would stand my ground. you cant walk someone out because of there jersey.
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It’s private property. They can throw you out for any reason they want.
I like the way they handled it. He got the attention he was obviously seeking, and everyone got a good laugh.
Lighten up.
Coming from a Eagles I love this coach I think he’s gonna do very well with the colts….. I also am a huge Luck fan I think the kid is gonna be a beast! Eaglenation!!!
many of you seem to miss the part where he was wearing a jersey of a former pittsburgh steelers and current colts player.
it was a great reaction and a way to bring the fan into the fold. actually a great PR move.
ravenseattheirownpoop says:Jul 31, 2012 9:35 AM
Steelers fans rule. Best traveling fans in the world! There are Steelers bars anywhere you go in the world. We rule
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Yes there are steeler bars every where. They also seem to be the bars that cater to, let’s just say alternative lifestyles.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
I’m not a fan of either team but I think this is awesome. There’s been talk that the Colts are having some trouble selling season tickets (probably because they were manningfans not real Colts fans) so this is a great way to show the loyal fans some love.
Who cares if you wear your favorite teams jersey at another teams practice. Personally I would of been grateful for a free Luck jersey, he’s a beast. (coming from a Steelers fan not that it even matters) Well done by the Colts!
The Colts have every legal right to kick out whomever they want as long as it’s not based on race, religion or sexual orientation. If they feel that the Steelers jersey will cause a distraction in their PRIVATELY OWNED training facility then said person must leave. The same goes for privately owned stadiums. The owner has the right to refuse entrance as long as it’s not based on race, etc. They choose not to so there’s no PR whiplash. Plus all of the owners share profits, no matter the team.
If the practice facility is publicly owned with no rights given to the team or the NFL to dictate who’s allowed in attendance, the fan has every right to be there.
If Mr. Simmons had attented a Rams practice while wearing a Steelers jersey, Jeff Fisher might’ve removed his No. 18 Colts jersey and given it to the uninvited intruder.