An 11-year-old boy and his dad are paying a heavy price for their honesty. On Aug. 11 at a charity hockey game in Minnesota, the boy’s identical twin was called to center ice to attempt a long-distance shot to win $50,000. Because his brother was headed outside to play with friends, the dad told the child he could take the shot in his place. The boy drilled the shot, but the dad confessed to the substitution afterward and the Reno, Nev. insurance company that covered the event refused to pay up.

The AP reports the company president thanked the family for telling the truth:

“We greatly respect the eventual honesty of the Smith family. Although we’re unable to pay the claim on Nate’s incredible shot, we are confident our donation will foster a positive environment for present and future youth hockey in Minnesota.”

The donation the prez spoke of was a $20,000 contribution in the boys’ names to youth hockey in Minnesota. It’s easy to see why he thanked the family, because the company not only saves $30,000, but gets a tax write-off on top of that. Accountants tell me that for tax purposes, charitable contributions in other peoples’ names count as gifts from the donors and not anyone the donations were made “in the name of.”

No $50,000 prize for boy who made ‘miracle’ shot [AP via Sports Illustrated]

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