Rookie mistake? Now at quarterback for the Vikings, Teddy 'Bridewater'

If the Minnesota Vikings' newest first-round draft choice wanted to take stock of his star power in his new sports home, all he needed to do was zip along Interstate 494 and head up York Avenue to the Southdale Target.

That's where jersey-style shirts were being sold Tuesday with his numeral 5 on the back along with his name spelled across the back in big block letters: B-R-I-D-E-W-A-T-E-R.

Oh, gee, forgot the G.

Welcome to Minnesota, Teddy Bridgewater.

With their NFL-licensed tags dangling, several of the rookie quarterback's G-less souvenir shirts hung from the rack along a highly traveled aisle in the Edina store, one of about 70 where the off-target spelling went on display.

"There it was, and my proofreading skills jumped to the fore," said Phil Tippin, of Minneapolis, explaining the moment the typographical fumble caught his eye while in the store for things correctly spelled.

Think about it, Tippin continued, "It went from somebody who had to lay it out … somebody had to approve it. It went through some type of process. A number of eyes saw this."

Tippin, his own eyes trained from his many years in publishing in the Twin Cities, speculated playfully that "it's just how we welcome [new players]. Maybe we can say it's rookie hazing."

Joshua Thomas, a spokesman for the Minneapolis-based retailer, said, "Even the most meticulous editor unfortunately sees an error slip through to the printer from time to time."

Thomas declined to say how many G-free shirts the vendor provided to Target, where they were made or who made them. He also would not say what the fate of the shirts will be.

He did say the "unfortunate" error was noticed "right away, and [Target personnel] have requested that stores remove the jersey from the sales floor."

Replacements shirts will be arriving "in the next few weeks," Thomas added, "and we're working closely with our vendor to ensure the correct spelling."

Paul Walsh