The Smiths, whose twin boys switched places for 'miracle' shot, denied money
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comHockey family gets lesson in honesty, but not $50K
Seeded on Thu Sep 1, 2011 9:14 AM EDT (msnbc.com)
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Sorry, but it was the next day when they decided to be truthful. How about the person whose name would have been drawn next to shoot for the $50M when the boy was not there?
Stop making this family out to be heroes. What they did was WRONG and only the next day did they get a conscience and admit to what they did.
Sucks to be you. I'm sure they would have called out 'dj-3488820 come on down' and you would have made the shot too. Maybe next time. Go buy a lottery ticket.
Darth... It sucks to be you! You're dishonest and a smart @$$.
dj is right, although he/she maybe expressed it a little harshly. If the lottery had been by a ticket number then anyone holding that ticket had the right to come on down. But the lottery was by name, and when the father allowed the wrong brother to take the shot THAT was the moment of dishonesty, and THAT was the moment someone else was cheated out of his or her opportunity to take the shot. Please remember that the sponsor of the event never budgeted to pay $50,000- there are insurance policies for these kinds of events and the insurer is the one who pays when the win happens. If the win doesn't happen according to the rules, the insurer doesn't pay out. And there's no call for the sponsor to be stuck because of the father's mistake in judgment. Everyone else was cheated by the father (even if we all understand how it could've happened in the heat of the moment) and the boys' lesson in being honest came a day late.
I only lied about being a smart ass.
Your mom!
It's not like the twin was an ineligible, dead shot ringer who the promoters never would have disqualified from entering the contest. If the kid with the ticket had said, "I'm too nervous - can my brother shoot for me?" or "I bought the ticket, but I gave it to my identical twin brother," nobody in their right mind would have said, "No way. We don't want him taking the shot." There were no qualifications. There was no better probability that the twin would make the shot. Sheesh, it's a technicality between two brothers. Same as a lottery ticket given as a gift before the drawing. Get off your high horses, people.
strike "never"... "would have disqualified..."
I have been anxiously awaiting this decision. I am shocked and very disappointed to now hear that this family will be denied the prize money. In a world where morals and ethics have been on a steady decline, this family was beacon of hope and light. This case could and should have been used as a prime example to prove that honesty is the way to go. Now we are back to our children learning from the Jersey Shore casts and others that bad behavior wins the prize. And, it not only wins the prize, but also awards you with fame and fortune. Shame on the people who made this decision! I wish I had the money to award it to this family myself.
They were dishonest before they were honest. And the insurance company went by the techincal rules. Which they had a right to do. Tough lesson to learn, but the boy who made the shot had no right to take it and no claim to the money. All he did was cheat out the opportunity of the person who would have been called after the first boy did not show.
You're easily shocked... And more easily disappointed...
Tracey, I guess I can understand your reasoning, But my reasoning is the father (caught up in the moment) bended his morals and ethics by letting someone else step in for the right person, all ended well, the kids hockey program had received 20 grand, The insurance company DID NOT have to pay that out at all, If it would have been by a number it would have been fine but because the tickets were by NAME it in my honest opinion was dishonest, It all ended well, that's all I have to say about this,
The Dad needs to put 50K in their bank account for college for being honest John. What a chump. The shot was a one in 10 million shot and the old man blew it for the boys.
It was a white lie ... like no honey - your butt looks fine. Nobody got hurt. Should have kept his mouth shut. Now he will probably get laid off and his kids won't get to go to college.
It wasn't just a "white lie", it was fraud. The father could have been prosecuted by the insurance company and gone to jail if convicted.
Whatever happaned to honor and integrity?
Didn't the father buy the tickets for the boys? It shouldn't mater which one took the shot since he paid for both tickets. It was a miracle shot that the family won fairly. Everyone seems to be over looking the fact that it was a once in a lifetime shot for any kid to make. He made a great shot and should have won the prize.
What ever happened to compassion and common sense? They easilly could have gotten away with this, but they came clean. Is that not worthy of a reward? They should have at least received the $10,000 balance from the original $50k prize. Instead, some insurace exec. will take it home as a bonus. Tell us Allison, who got hurt in this scenario?
The company had no intention of paying. Bottom line is that they really did not think anyone would make the shot due to the size of the hole being barely large enough for a puck to start with. This was just an advertising scheme and they know it.
No, the company never intended to pay. They intended that their insurance company would pay. That's the way these hole in one contests with the big prizes work (at golf tournaments, at basketball games, and at hockey games. ) A company pays a small amount, perhaps a thousand or so, and an insurance company spreads the risk over the 100's of events that they insure. The insurance company plays by the rules. It's actually BETTER for the company if someone wins and the insurer has to pay out. They get lots of good publicity in exchange for a relatively small investment. But there's no reason to bash the company when the rules aren't followed and a contestant disqualifies himself, and the insurer legally refuses to pay out.
Agreed. The companies that offer these prizes never intend to pay out. It's all a cheap publicity trick and they will always find a loophole to get out of paying when someone actually manages to 'win'.
The children shouldn't make any money off this. Honesty is a trait you either have or don't have, whether you expect to receive monetary gain for it or not.
You should strive to be a good person for the sake of being a good person, not so you might one day benefit from it.
Hopefully, when the time comes, the two boy's will get to chose the rest home that dad goes to... Now that's justice...
James and black.knight... There is no way this company should have paid that money. It was not even the person they had called up to take the shot. The person who was called wouldn't have made the shot. It was all luck, it was dishonest and they deserved not to be paid. Now I do think the kid that who's name was called should get 1 shot to see what happens.
I'm glad they did give someof it to the youth hockey program, though. At least other kids get to benefit.
As far as the family, they need to really do some soul-searching on their personal morals. Honesty and integrity are not things you can don or doff as the mood or circumstances strike you or for personal gain. Its a code of honor to live by.
So did the network that interviewed this family give them money to appear on the show? Cause that would make the fact that was no prize money to be had a lot easier to take. A few interviews with the right network could give you a lot more money then 50k. Plus magazines etc....
You think networks pay for every interview? They rarely pay for interviews from anyone other than a celebrity.
They never officially had the money so they lost nothing. They didnt follow the rules, why dont you just let this story die and be done with it. I am glad there are honest people around, it has got them well more than their 15 minutes of fame!
To the Smith Family,
Thank you for your strength to follow through with the decision to show this level of honesty. To the people who will criticize you for waiting a day or whatever, ignore them. Mom and Dad Smith, good job! Your children have much to be proud of. Their love and respect for you are worth a whole lot more than pieces of paper with ink on them. You'll leave this world without the paper, but your children will meet you on the other side.
The lesson that this father gave his sons was far more valuable than money they could have won. To act with integrity, to walk uprightly, will be honored by God.
Good for you dad, to teach your childen to always do what is right, even if you can easily get away with doing wrong.
These boys will be blessed.
yea, the few comments here just prove that the consensus in our society is that dad was an idiot for saying anything. Honesty means nothing in our culture anylonger.
I just wish the dad had had the personal integrity to be honest in the first place, and never let the shot happen. In the long run, it would have been better for the sons, and in the short run it would have been better for the next name called.
Where do you come up with your proof that the consensus in out society is that the dad was an idiot for saying anything??? I see no comments suggesting the father shouldn't have said anything. I have a feeling you love to harp on the decline of morals... Plus, I'm really happy you decided that these boys will be blessed. I didn't know it was your job to make these decisions. Please keep me in mind for a future blessing...
Jim, you must be old like me.
3 of the major cable networks anchors who reported this story, gave their little opinion, at the end, which was, "what was the dad thinking?" Come on, you must be older than 50. You know it Jim, the younger crowd, would have not said a word.
The father set a good example for the boys. While I think they probably should have received the money since they were in possession of the ticket that was called and actually made the shot, it does sound like they broke the rules, and they (later) fessed up. The insurance company (who likely didn't have to do a thing) gave $40K to charity, a) not wanted the bad publicity, and b) not able to set precedent by allowing the family to keep the award. I say it was win-win.
The charity will never see the money.
The charity will see the money (in small increments over a specific number of months) and the insurance company will write it off on their taxes and make back well more than the 50K they would have had to pay out. Companies do this kind of thing all the time because they need to show some losses on their tax forms or else pay really big money in April.
Good for them. It gives me hope for the next generations that someone stands up for what's right and good and honest. May God bless them with the greatest of riches in life
I read a comment above that I couldn't agree more with. Although the boy pretended to be his brother & coinsidentally ended up making the impossible shot its pretty obvious that the money was never really intended to be given away to anyone at any point. The people promoting this thought this shot was "impossible" so it was used for just that, promotional purposes. Of course they were going to keep the money due to the circumstances.
I find it pretty amazing the family was honest about it, good for them. That money would have been a nice cushion on a college fund of some sort (especially because they ARE twins), yet they did the right thing.
These promotions are insured. Of course they're made to be a VERY difficult thing to accomplish. For you to say the money was never intended to be given away is hogwash. You have no proof of that and are spewing gibberish.
What a hose job for those kids.
Easy for everyone else to say they didn't follow the rules and judge them and say they didn't deserve it. If it were your kids, you'd be singing a different tune. I think there's a lot of jealousy out there for anybody who gets something you don't.
They were honest after making the shot. That is far more important in the big picture than the issue of which twin took the shot.
The $50,000 was offered out by the promotion company and then they settled on a $40,000 donation to be split by two organizations. What happened to the other $10,000?
The promotion company and their insurance carrier get to write off a nice donation on their balance sheet and pocket a mysterious $10,000 balance.
Insurance companies never lose money. Don't shed a tear for them when you hear they paid out billions for Irene. They have been making billions every year in profits. The majority of property owners never have to make a claim ever in their lives. $50,000 is a speck of sand on the beach to them.
Hopefully, the twins will get taken care of just like the guy who caught Jeter's 3,000th hit.
As for the insurance company, nice way to do business using basically the "fineprint" to deny a claim. That's nothing new in their industry.
Even if it is a write-off, it still costs the company $24,000.00 if in a 40% state and federal bracket. Don't think tax write-offs are free and paid for by the tax payers. You fall under the typical "entitled American" category.
These people cheated another person out of their fair chance at the money...
I feel no sense of entitlement for anything. You're absolutely wrong there.
The only person "cheated" was the other son in the family. I'm sure the father regrets not waiting for him to leave the bathroom to avoid such a fiasco. If the father would have said that the person on the called ticket was in the bathroom, I'm sure they would have waited. The next person would not have been called automatically. So you would have gone home angry, thinking you would have actually made the shot even though you would never have been given the opportunity if things had gone the black and white way you apparently see things.
I bet you cry your eyes out everytime an insurance company has to pay out a claim.
This is a unique case that just shows how the little guy, literally in this case, gets scrutinized by the organization with deep pockets.
You would fall under the typical hater category as long as you're generalizing everybody into your vision for the world.
You want something for nothing. You feel someone with money should pay even though they were cheated. The family CHEATED!
The kid made the shot. He should be paid something for being honest and not just a free token hockey clinic.
He didn't miss. Paying for missing would be money for nothing.
In your eyes, the father cheated the same as he would have on his taxes. There is a huge difference.
In business, good faith resolutions are made all the time despite not entirely deserving them.
The promotion/insurance company made a decision to squeeze this family to set an example.
They would have gained far more positive PR by paying and not punishing a kid.
JIM
It is called redistributing the wealth which is something we have all bought into.
My kids learned that in no way would I allow dishonesty. If they lied or cheated and I found out about it, I took them immediately to the teacher, coach, etc., and made then fess up. Then they had to face up to the consequences both in school or public and at home.
Most of the time when we screwed up as kids, my grandfather would talk to us about what we did, why we shouldn't have done it, and bring us around to what we needed to do to fix it. However, for lying or stealing he took off his belt and tanned our backsides. Honesty was a huge thing in his book and we were made to understand that the dishonesty of any one person was a reflection upon the entire family.
I have great respect for the family for it's honesty -- and complete disgust for the insurance company.
I appreciate the fact that the family admitted to the deceiption.......and the insurance company made the "right" decision. There is a cost to lie and deceive. We all know this.........no need to reward ....even when we do confess our sins.....always consequences.......man up......accept it.
Ultimately, the kids learned their lesson. And ultimately, dad did the right thing and I believe the kids did learn the importance of honesty. Which may not have happened to the degree it did if dad would not have let his other kid take the shot. One can, rightfully so, argue the greater value in fessing up immediately, which would have been the correct response. But it didn't happen that way and so dad too learned from it also, I hope. Nobody's perfect, but in the end honesty prevailed albeit better late than never.
Another tight-%$#@ssed company not doing what is right. Odds on Promotions, in Reno, Nev are bums! The kid should be able to keep the money!
No, you're just another entitled American who thinks things should be handed to them on a silver platter. I'm glad the insurance company didn't get Cheated out of this money. This family came clean so they didn't get sued down the road. They could have gotten into a lot of trouble. That's why the father came clean.
In reality is that the father purchased the winning ticket. One of his tickets was called, it shouldn't matter who went up for the shot. It was a paid ticket!
The family did not set out to deceive anybody. A father just let his other son take the shot. He didn't leave the house on the way to the arena with the premeditated plan to have the twins play switcheroo. He did what probably most other fathers would have done, on the spot, in a similar situation. Just let the other kid take the shot. He didn't think either kid had an actual shot in hell of making it. When the kid made the shot, I'm sure the father was in disbelief and didn't exactly know what to do.
Did the insurance and promotional company do everything possible to confirm the identity of the person taking the shot to avoid such a fiasco afterward?
On the other hand, the insurance company is not in business to pay out claims. They are in business to collect premiums and make it difficult to collect. They look for any little way out of paying.
Tell me now: Who is the more conniving party in this story?
All other issues aside, I'm impressed with this kid's shot. I'm sure everyone involved (especially the insurance company) never expected anyone to get it in. I'd be willing to bet that the hole mysteriously becomes smaller next time.
Dad encouraged this and then comes clean later....hmmmm
For all we know, the boys have probably been playing the switch-a-roo their entire life - tests at school, other sports etc...
Honesty dosent pay.
To the contrary, it pays off far better in the long run with things money can't buy, like a clear conscience and peace of mind. Being honest might cause the occasional inconvenience or hurt, but the consequences of lying are a great deal more painful both in the short and long term.
Having a reputation of the utmost honesty and integrity will carry a person a lot farther in life than will being a lying, cheating, conniving s.o.b. and honest people are far happier than dishonest ones.