WESTERLY, R.I. (WHDH) - A 10-year-old Rhode Island girl got the surprise of a lifetime when Dunkin’ gifted her tickets to Sunday’s highly-anticipated Patriots-Buccaneers game in honor of her historic peewee football season.
Tessa Bliven, of Westerly, made history as the first female starting quarterback in her peewee football league. The fifth grader lead her team to victory for the first game of the season.
“It’s very surprising how I got six free tickets to the game,” Bliven.
Bliven’s story first garnered attention on social media from a Facebook post made by the Boston Renegades, a women’s tackle football team.
“Girls are now seeing that other girls are playing and ‘Yeah I can do that! I’m able to do that,'” said Boston Renegades player Amanda Alpert.
The Facebook post now boasts over 21,000 likes and the peewee quarterback was able to meet her Renegades role models.
“It’s amazing. She’s just a kid who wants to play,” said Tessa’s mother Kristin Blivin, who added that her daughter hopes to become the NFL’s first female player.
Bliven’s whole family will attend Sunday’s game to see Brady’s historic return to New England. The young girl said she will cheer for Brady, but only for a moment.
“Before the whistle blows, yes. But when the whistle blows, no,” she said.
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