Patrons at a bar in Milwaukee hoping to score free drinks in the event of a Jets loss were in for a rude awakening after Xavier Gipson’s stunning game-winning punt return.
Jack’s American Pub announced late last month that it would be covering customers’ tabs whenever the Jets lost a game started by Aaron Rodgers. There are conditions, of course. Patrons have to open a tab at least 15 minutes before kickoff and the deal doesn’t cover food, but all drinks are on the house if the former Packers star’s team ends up losing.
Customers watching Monday Night Football at Jack’s were in a celebratory mood after Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury early in the Jets’ opener against the Bills. Surely Josh Allen would get the better of Zach Wilson, right? Not so fast. The Jets won the game in thrilling fashion on Gipson’s punt return touchdown in overtime, meaning the patrons were suddenly responsible for paying their own tabs.
A.J. Bayatpour of Milwaukee’s CBS 58 was at Jack’s to capture the mood during the game. Luckily, he was live on the air when Gipson scored. The result was some fantastic television.
So, uh, we were live on the air at Jack's when the Jets won, and everyone realized they weren't drinking for free after all pic.twitter.com/VCZJNGBaym
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) September 12, 2023
“And the mood has changed considerably,” Bayatpour said. “That is because the Jets just won the game on a long touchdown in overtime. Take a look. This is the reaction from a bar where people are realizing the bar tabs they’ve been racking up all night—thinking, certainly with Rodgers hurt, the bar was going to be paying that tab—it is setting in, they are going to have to go to the bar and pay that tab.”
Tough break for anyone hoping to drink for free that night.
The other bit of bad news for thrifty Milwaukee drinkers is that Jack’s won’t be running the promo again for the rest of the season. With the news that an MRI has confirmed the diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon for Rodgers, he’ll miss the rest of the season. The deal was only valid in games started by Rodgers, so that’s the end of that.
