BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Indiana University cheerleader who went viral gets NIL deal

Basketball (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

BE - Test Share

More Sports

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — The Indiana University cheerleader who went viral after rescuing a basketball that had gotten stuck behind a backboard — that even the players couldn’t reach — is now getting her own T-shirt.

Cassidy Cerny, who was lifted by Nathan Paris to retrieve the ball during a game pitting the Indiana Hoosiers against the St. Mary’s Gaels, landed a names, image and likeness deal with the sports apparel company Breaking T.

They’re releasing a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion, which features a nearly identical image of Cerny rescuing the ball with the phrase “The Cheerleader Saves the Day” on it, originally said by CBS Sports’ Andrew Catalon.

The viral moment happened during the second half of the game, which Indiana ultimately lost. A shot by one player got the ball stuck, momentarily pausing the competition.

Players tried to dislodge it by sticking the handle of a mop into the gap. It was only when Cerny went on Paris’ shoulder and dislodged the ball that the game could continue.

“As soon as [the ball got stuck], I was joking in my mind like, ‘Oh we should put a stunt up and we’ll just get it down right there,’” Paris told NewsNation local affiliate WXIN the morning after. “Obviously, you never think it would come to that. They have other things. Once I saw the chair didn’t work, and … the stick didn’t work, then I was like, ‘This might actually end up being a real thing.’”

Video of the stunt earned millions of views after it began circulating.

“Social media has been insane,” Cerny said on WXIN. “Hearing from people from our school and hometown friends, relatives and stuff. It’s been really cool to be able to have this experience shared with not only our team, but with everyone who’s watching.”

Morning In America

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Mostly Cloudy

la

52°F Mostly Cloudy Feels like 52°
Wind
0 mph E
Humidity
80%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
50°F Cloudy skies. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NE
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Last Quarter