In a recent development, the University of Massachusetts (UMass) has decided to award $10,000 to a student named Noah Lee following a dispute regarding a halftime promotion held during a women’s basketball game. The contest required participants to make a layup, a free throw, a 3-pointer, and a half-court shot within 25 seconds. Noah Lee successfully made all four shots; however, an insurance company overseeing the promotion claimed that the half-court shot was disqualified, alleging that it was taken from in front of the half-court line.
On Friday, UMass communicated that they were not satisfied with the insurance company's decision after reviewing footage from four different camera angles. The university stated, “After their review of the four camera angles we provided, they determined the half-court shot was disqualified as it was not taken behind the half-court line. We weren’t satisfied with that outcome and arrived at the decision to provide Noah with both a $10,000 award and a host of additional UMass athletics benefits.” This announcement came after some confusion surrounding the insurance company's stance on the matter.
Odds On Promotions, a Reno, Nevada-based prize indemnification insurance company, clarified in a statement that UMass had proceeded with their decision prior to formally filing a claim. They noted that the claim’s verification process had yet to be completed and that no final decision had been made regarding the invalidation of the contest win. They stated, “No formal claim or request for prize money was made by the University to Odds On in this matter. Odds On was not involved in the initial invalidation of the contest win and only became aware of the University’s decision to not pay the contestant through media coverage.”
Lee’s best friend, Josh Schreiber, who is also a broadcaster for UMass women’s basketball, shared that the insurance company had informed Lee he would not receive the $10,000 prize but was offered an alternative package that included tickets, gift cards, and UMass merchandise. However, UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford emphasized his commitment to ensuring that Lee would receive the prize money, stating, “For all those wondering, we’re working on getting $10K to Noah. If we can’t get to a good result via the insurance company, we will pay him directly. We appreciate his support of @UMassAthletics & want to reward his fun accomplishment the other night at our @UMassWBB game.”
Support for Lee’s cause has come from various quarters within the UMass community. Men's basketball coach Frank Martin reached out to Lee through Schreiber to express his support and later retweeted Bamford’s decision to ensure Lee was awarded the $10,000 prize. Martin expressed his satisfaction with UMass athletics’ decision, stating, “I work for incredible people that always stand on the right thing. Just got out of practice and Heard that UMASS athletics stepped up and got it done for Noah. Everybody wins.”
This incident highlights not only the complexities that sometimes arise in promotional contests involving insurance but also the commitment from educational institutions to recognize and reward the achievements of their students. UMass has taken steps to remedy this situation favorably and support their student athlete, Noah Lee, thereby reinforcing the notion of community and sportsmanship within the university’s athletics program.
