U of L student denied halftime contest prize knew he wasn't eligible

A student who was denied prize money after he sank a half-court shot at a recent University of Louisville basketball game said he was aware beforehand that he didn't meet the contest's eligibility requirements, but that he wasn't trying to intentionally deceive anyone by participating.

Jackson Logsdon, a sophomore at U of L, competed in a halftime contest during the U of L women's basketball game Thursday at the KFC Yum Center. He made a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and a half-court shot, which normally would have netted him $38,000 from Million Dollar Media, the company that is responsible for paying the prize money. 

But Logsdon was deemed ineligible for the prize because he had played high school basketball, a defined clause in the company's contract, and on Monday both he and Million Dollar Media told the Courier-Journal he was aware of the stipulation prior to the contest.

"I never claimed to not have played," Logsdon said in a phone interview. "It just kind of worked out in a weird situation where I ended up winning. ... We knew kind of right after that it was going to be unlikely that the payout would happen."

"This specific eligibility requirement was disclosed to the contestant in advance of his participation, and Mr. Logsdon was aware that he did not meet the eligibility requirements in order to participate in the contest prior to his attempt," Million Dollar Media said in an emailed release.

But U of L is making sure Logsdon doesn't walk away with nothing to show for the ordeal — the athletics department is paying for his books and meal plan for the next two years.

"That's pretty awesome on their part because again, they're not obligated to do anything like that but they realize how cool the situation and the shots were," Logsdon said. "They, out of the kindness of their hearts, decided to not to send me home empty-handed."

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No Million Dollar Media representatives were present at the basketball game, and the contest was sponsored, administered and executed by the University of Louisville.

Logsdon said U of L athletics representatives approached him less than two minutes before halftime to see if he wanted to participate in the contest. He said yes, and the representatives asked if he had played high school basketball. Logsdon again said yes and was still allowed to participate.

U of L athletics spokesman Ira Green on Monday confirmed Logsdon's version of events and called the incident a "mix-up."

"He should not have been allowed to move forward," Green said. "It was just one of those things where there was some confusion."

Additionally, Green said, a review of video of the contest shows that Logsdon's foot was on the line during his made free throw shot — meaning he should not have actually been declared a winner.

Once Logsdon had been declared a winner, however, he and U of L representatives sat down to sign the Million Dollar Media affidavit of eligibility. It was then that Logsdon realized he was ineligible because of his high school basketball experience. The affidavit, which Million Dollar Media provided to the Courier-Journal, included a clause that read, "(please initial) I am NOT a current or former college, high school, or Olympic basketball player who has played at that level within the past six (6) years."

Logsdon said he initialed and signed the affidavit anyway not because he was trying to deceive the company, but because he figured they would run a background check no matter what and discover he didn't meet the requirement.

"I don't want people to think I lied or I didn't have any common sense," Logsdon said. "We weren't really sure what we should do because we knew either way they have access to the internet just as much as everyone else did; they can look it up. So I thought I'd just go ahead and initial because they're going to know anyway."

He continued, "I think the bashing of Million Dollar Media is a bit out of line because they're a company; they have to have a contract and a set of rules in place or they'll never make any money. ... What I really want people to realize is (the contest) is a really awesome and cool experience. Not many people get the opportunity to go out and be in the situation to get those shots, and for me to hit them and get the reaction and support on social media and from my friends and family ... I just want people to remember that part more so than the technicalities of the contract."

A Million Dollar Media representative said the company has worked with U of L for the 2016 football season and throughout the current basketball season. Green said the school plans to keep administering the contest.

Now that the details of the contest have been cleared up, Logsdon said he hopes people can resist blaming the parties involved and instead go back to appreciating the basketball contest itself.

"I've tried to be as positive about it as possible because I want it to die down and again be thought of as a positive thing and not a negative thing," he said. "That's all you can do in life, is take the good with the bad and let it be."

Reporter Danielle Lerner can be reached at dlerner@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4042.