WREG.com

Tennessee band members wear T-shirt honoring bullied fan

Members of the Pride of the Southland band perform as they wear the University of Tennessee superfan shirt after designing his own UT shirt and wearing it to his school before an NCAA college football game against Chattanooga Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee’s marching band showed their support for a little boy that was teased for his t-shirt.

The band briefly wore a T-shirt based on a design by a boy who was teased at school over the design and then offered a scholarship at the university.

On Thursday, Tennessee officials offered the 4th grader a four-year scholarship beginning in the fall of 2028 if he chooses to attend Tennessee and meets admission requirements.

The boy’s story went viral last week after his teacher posted on Facebook that the student’s peers mocked a T-shirt he designed for his school’s “college colors” day.

After the post gained attention, the University of Tennessee’s VolShop website created its own Tennessee shirt featuring the boy’s design.

School officials say over 50,000 shirts have been presold. Proceeds benefit STOMP Out Bullying .