Ashley Castanio-Gervasi could have made a life-changing amount of money this weekend, as she was set to participate in a field goal competition for the New York Jets during halftime of their game this Sunday. However, the former Division I college soccer player turned high school coach has now been told that she was disqualified from the competition due to her athletic background. She stood to earn $100,000 in prize money.
The Jets’ super fan, who was invited to the competition after staffers for the franchise saw her kick footballs for fun at a tailgate event, maintains that she had already told the team about her college athletics history before participating in the first round of the event last week. She advanced to the final round after kicking a 20-yard field goal, and seemed confident she could win the competition outright.
“This is life-changing money for me,” Castanio-Gervasi fumed to New York The Post. “I was confident I could have made it.
“This was the first time I was hearing of any of these [coaching] questions.”
Castanio-Gervasi is a lifelong Jets fan and season ticketholder who was inducted into the fandom by her late father, who was also a diehard Jets fan. It’s safe to say fans weren’t happy with the decision, with reactions such as the following abounding on social media.
Lmao. They asked her to come kick. And then found out she was a soccer coach and former college player, and told her she couldn’t kick anymore.
I don’t know if an organization that hates their fans more than the NY jets and its ownership https://t.co/daBKd8c3lk
— Jack Freeman (@jackfreemanjr) December 26, 2025
New York Jets on Why They Decided to Shut Out Ashley Castanio-Gervasi
The New York Post reached out to the New York Jets, who backed up their decision to prevent Ashley Castanio-Gervasi from participating in the $100,000 competiton. The statement they send the newspaper read:
“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,” the team said in a statement to The Post.
“We understand the disappointment associated with this and have made an effort to provide an alternative benefit to show our appreciation,” the Jets statement added.
Whether or not the Jets’ super fan should be permitted to participate in the event seems besides the point. She wasn’t properly screened by the team, allowing her to participate was the best outcome for the team’s reputation, and if they wanted to avoid a lopsided competition, they should’ve screened her better.
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