West Chester Student's Father: 'They're Letting Jack Down'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – By now, you've heard the story. Jack Lavery thought he won $10,000 in a halftime challenge at a West Chester basketball game on Saturday. After some checking of the fine print, the University informed him he would not be getting the money.
Jack's father thinks the school should throw the rules out the window, and make it right with his son.
"The bottom line is, Angelo, we don't want to bash West Chester," Bill Lavery, father of Jack, told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Tuesday. "I graduated in '87, Jack's aunt and uncle went there, we just feel like they're letting Jack down. He's a great kid and we were so excited he did something phenomenal and we just, we want them to get this right."
To win the money, as the rules stated, Jack Lavery had to hit a layup, a free throw, a three point shot and a half court shot all within 24 seconds, and do it without missing. Unfortunately Lavery, nor many of the school employees knew the actual rules. Lavery hit the first three shots, missed the half court shot, but had enough time, he thought, for another crack at it. He hit the half court shot on his second try, and thought he was going home $10,000 richer.
"Angelo, the contract is your typical insurance contract," Bill Lavery said. "It's a fancily worded document and in the small print down towards the bottom of it, it says if you have played basketball in high school in the last five years you are not allowed to participate in the contest. The emcee, they asked Jack, and they said has he ever played basketball before and Jack said, 'oh yeah I played in high school.' The emcee said alright, well let's go."
"[The school employees] recognized us at half court. We were at the game, and they came out, they took our picture, they interviewed us. On the interview they asked me if I was going to match the ten thousand dollars. So at that point, yeah, we thought Jack had won the money."
"This girl came up to us on the court and she was like I have to double check with the insurance company's contract, but I'm pretty sure the half court shot can only be made on the first attempt," Jack Lavery's sister said.
"They said they went to the insurance company for a review, and then she said if the insurance company says no, I'm pretty sure the school will offer some kind of a scholarship to Jack," Bill Lavery said.
"And they also said, they're going to let us know soon. They were like, 'where are you guys sitting? We'll be over in about five minutes and we'll come over and let you know what's going on," Allison Lavery said. "And they all disappeared right after it happened," Jack Lavery added.
"Pretty much five minutes after we got done celebrating," Jack Lavery said of when he found out he wouldn't be getting the money.
