An anti-gang policy in the Weld County School System in Colorado has left students disappointed because they’re prevented from wearing Peyton Manning jerseys to school. One third grader even had to remove his Peyton Manning jersey.
“They told me I couldn’t wear 18 anymore because it’s a gang number and I had to take it off,” Konnor Vanatta told FOX 31 in Denver.
Weld County District 6 apparently has had this policy in place for more than three years, and it applies to the numbers 13, 14, 18, 31, 41 and 81, which all represent possible gang affiliations.
“We’re Broncos fans ourselves; it has nothing to do with that. We’re just wanting to set a consistent solid, example,” district spokesperson Roger Fiedler told FOX 31.
Students aren’t banned from supporting the Broncos, they just have to be careful about what numbers they wear. Vanatta wore a jersey with a different number to school on Tuesday.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a student forced to remove a jersey, but this was actually for a much better reason. If Peyton Manning wants to show solidarity with Colorado’s youth, then maybe he should consider changing his jersey number.
