Update: Jets reverse course, allow East Rockaway fan to kick in ‘Kick for Cash’ promotion
More than a dozen family members had planned to attend Sunday’s game to cheer her on.
If another terrible season on the field wasn’t bad enough, the Jets have now yanked away what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday moment for a longtime fan from East Rockaway.
Ashley Castanio-Gervasi — a lifelong Jets fan, season ticket holder and the girls varsity soccer coach at Long Beach High School — was set to compete in the team’s “Kick for Cash” challenge at MetLife Stadium during halftime of this Sunday’s game against New England. The contest, sponsored by Hellmann’s, carries a top prize of $100,000.
Earlier this week, Castanio-Gervasi was told she was no longer eligible.
“It’s just insane,” she told Greater Long Island.
According to Castanio-Gervasi, the issue stems from contest rules that allegedly prohibit participants with recent organized soccer or football coaching experience. The 33-year-old said she disclosed her coaching background early in the process and was never told it would disqualify her — until right before Christmas.
As GLI previously reported, Castanio-Gervasi earned her spot in the contest by successfully kicking a 20-yard field goal during a Jets fan competition in the Tailgate Zone ahead of the team’s game against the Carolina Panthers. A former Division I soccer goalie at Stony Brook University, she was the only woman to qualify for the final round.
More than a dozen family members had planned to attend Sunday’s game to cheer her on.
“My students and athletes are ecstatic,” she told GLI earlier this week. “Kids in the hallways are always asking me about it. The whole school is excited.”
The moment carried even deeper meaning. Castanio-Gervasi had planned to donate a portion of any winnings to the Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation in memory of her father, Frank.
Castanio-Gervasi said she is now in discussions with the Jets to see if anything can be done, though she does not yet know what that might look like. Regardless of the outcome, she said her family has decided to sell their tickets to this weekend’s game rather than attend. It will be the first Jets home game she’s missed in years.
