After a PR disaster, the Rohrman Automotive Group decided to give $5,000 to Zachary Spangler, who lost a car lease due to a clock technicality
September 12, 2024 at 15:50
- Amid backlash, Rohrman Automotive Group awards Zachary Spangler the prize he won in August.
- The student chose a $5k cash prize, and the dealership is donating another $5k to Purdue.
- While the dealer is out ten grand, the reputational damage likely far exceeds that value.
After getting sacked by their own team, the Rohrman Automotive Group has reversed course and decided to award Purdue University student Zachary Spangler his well deserved prize. As you’re probably aware, he successfully kicked 20, 30, and 40-yard field goals and was supposed to win a two-year lease on a new car from Bob Rohrman Honda.
However, the director of operations from the dealership later emailed Spangler and told him that their insurance company reviewed video of the event and his “40-yard field goal was not kicked in time by five one-hundredths of a second.” That video reportedly showed the football was placed with 1.5 seconds on the clock and, as CBS Sports would eventually point out, “When it comes to football at any level, the kick would count as long as it’s snapped before the clock hits zero.”
More: Car Dealer Denies Prize To Purdue Student After Successfully Kicking Three Field Goals
Spangler told his story to the Purdue Exponent and it was shared far and wide, tanking the reputation of Rohrman Automotive. In the aftermath, their dealers were inundated with negative comments such as “scumbag,” “absolutely untrustworthy,” and “y’all should be ashamed.”
Rohrman Automotive is now in full damage control mode as their PR firm contacted us to say they have decided to award Spangler $5,000 or a two-year lease on a new car. Spangler selected the cash prize and the dealership group is also making a $5,000 donation to The Ross-Ade Brigade, which is a student organization at Purdue.
An earlier version of the Kicks for Cash contest
The reputational damage likely far exceeded the eventual $10,000 payout and the company didn’t even apologize. Instead, Trey Rohrman, Director of Operations for Rohrman Automotive Group, said “We acknowledge that the process to determine whether or not Zach qualified for the grand prize took too long and his incredible kick should be rewarded.”
He went on to claim they appreciated the “public’s scrutiny of the process” and announced new rules for the Kicks for Cash contest. While the 30-second timer will be eliminated, there will now only be three kicks.
The first will be at the 10-yard line and is worth a $100 gift card. If the first field goal is successful, they’ll move to the 20-yard line for a $150 gift card. If that kick is also successful, they’ll move to the 30-yard line to kick for $5,000 or a two-year lease on a new Honda Civic.