New York Jets season ticket holder Ashley Castanio-Gervasi will not be allowed to kick a field goal for a chance at $100,000. The team revoked her life-changing attempt because she coaches high school soccer on Long Island.
It’s a bad look.
To be completely fair to the Jets, it sounds like they are simply enforcing their own rules as they are written. However, the way in which this has all played out creates poor optics for the NFL organization.
A local high school soccer coach will NOT kick for cash.
Castanio-Gervasi was all set to kick a field goal at halftime of this coming Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. The 33-year-old has been practicing her 25-yard attempt over the last few weeks and months with a chance to win $100,000.
And then the rug was pulled out from under her.
The rules set by the Jets strictly prohibit any recent players and coaches from Olympic, college and high school soccer, rugby and football teams from participating. A representative from the organization called her up last week to finalize all of the plans. Only then was she was ruled ineligible. Castanio-Gervasi is not allowed to participate in the final round of the ‘Kick for Cash’ competition on Saturday.
Her chance at the money is no more. The Long Island high school soccer coach won’t even get the opportunity to compete for $100,000. It is a huge bummer.
The New York Jets waited until the last second.
According to Alex Mitchell of the New York Post, Ashley Castanio-Gervasi was first discovered by the team at a tailgate event in September. She is a life-long season ticket holder who attends the games in honor of her late father, who was a diehard fan of the Jets through thick and thin.
Representatives of the organization asked Castanio-Gervasi if she wanted to try and qualify for the contest. She of course said yes and later qualified to kick for the money by drilling a 20-yard field goal in October. She the only woman to reach the final round. At no point did New York have an issue with her background or employment.
Castanio-Gervasi claims the team already knew she was a former Division-I college soccer player before they let her compete in October. The former goalkeeper played at Stony Brooks from 2010 to 2014.
“These two workers for the New York Jets kind of chased me down and invited me back to get into this competition,” she told The Post. “The one question I was asked was if I played college soccer, and how long ago.”
And yet, when the organization called her up last week, it revealed the technicality that will prevent her from participating in the money rounds on Sunday. The Jets say they are just following the rules.
“In accordance with competition rules and regulations, one individual who successfully made the qualifying kick will not be able to advance to the final stage of the challenge We understand the disappointment associated with this and have made an effort to provide an alternative benefit to show our appreciation.”
— New York Jets in a statement to The Post.
That’s fine. Following the rules is not the issue.
To string Castanio-Gervasi along, only to pull her out of the money kick at the last possible moment, is a terrible look. Especially considering her lifelong fandom of a team that has been mostly horrible for the majority of her life. Classic Jets.