A viral video that appeared to show legendary U.S. quarterback Drew Brees get struck by lightning while filming a commercial sent fans into a concerned flurry Friday morning, but the flurry quickly turned to fury as they learned more.
A video from the filming of a PointsBet Sportsbook commercial was posted to Twitter Friday morning, shared by a Venezuelan filmmaker and retweeted by American sports commentator Amy Dash.
The 14-second video showed Brees getting ready to do the commercial spot, standing near the Catatumbo River in Venezuela, while lightning flashed in the background and crew worked around him. Suddenly, a bright flash appeared on the screen and the camera dropped while a woman yelled in the background.
BREAKING: Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, reportedly struck by lightning while filming a commercial for PointsBet. Updates to come on 🧵below & @LOJSports.
— Amy Dash (@AmyDashTV) December 2, 2022
“It is unclear why the commercial was being filmed in these conditions but this reportedly occurred overnight,” Dash tweeted after posting the video.
Shortly after, PointsBet issued a statement: “We are aware of the media coverage regarding PointsBet brand ambassador Drew Brees. We are in communication with Brees’ team and will continue to monitor events throughout the coming hours. At this stage we will not be making any further comment.”
We are aware of the media coverage regarding PointsBet brand ambassador Drew Brees. We are in communication with Brees' team and will continue to monitor events throughout the coming hours. At this stage we will not be making any further comment.
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 2, 2022
Dash’s report lined-up with events posted to Brees’ Twitter account earlier in the week. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback tweeted on Monday that he was “excited to be flying to a top-secret location” later in the week where he would be filming a promo for PointsBet, a sports betting website.
Excited to be flying to a top-secret location later this week to shoot the new promotional video for @PointsBetUSA
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) November 30, 2022
However, in the hours after the video was posted, sports journalists began hearing from Brees, who reported that he was fine and not struck by lightning.
I just texted Drew Brees. He said he's good and that he did not get struck by lightning.
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) December 2, 2022
Drew Brees is fine. Nothing to worry about with that video floating around this morning.
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) December 2, 2022
Hours later, PointsBet released a second video of Brees, where he revealed from the back of an ambulance that the video was just one big ploy to plug the company’s “lightning bets.”
Time to let you in on a little fun we've had with @drewbrees guys. He's alive and well and "buzzing" for a weekend of free bets. Keep your eyes on our channels all weekend for bet drops for US vs. Netherlands, College Football and NFL. pic.twitter.com/vhnLm5S0Cw
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 2, 2022
At the end of the video, Brees is seen jumping out of an ambulance only to be electrocuted by an animated lightning bolt.
Brees also shared the original video on Instagram and Twitter, writing: “The lightning must’ve thought I was wearing a Falcons jersey, that’s why it tried to get me.] I’m fine…Who Dat!”
The marketing stunt left a lot of fans less than impressed.
the new @PointsBetUSA promo is allegedly for a new "lightning Bets" feature. However, if the idea was to stage a fake lightning strike on Drew Brees to get attention, it was ill conceived as it led to legitimate concern about his well being https://t.co/zLYVveARp9
— Amy Dash (@AmyDashTV) December 2, 2022
Dash pointed out that the stunt, which attracted millions of view to her Twitter video, was “ill-conceived as it led to legitimate concern about (Brees’) well being,” and many agreed with her.
Way to scare thousands of people man.
— Chew (@nolansdad55) December 2, 2022
https://twitter.com/cherLhorowitz/status/1598775925076037632
Either Drew Brees was fully struck by lightning or PointsBet's running the worst marketing scheme of all-time.
Lawsuit or court of public opinion — either way, PointsBet is about to get slaughtered. https://t.co/PzBh1JpKI3
— Carlos Verde (@Carlos77Verde) December 2, 2022
There is a person out there who actually thought: "Let's make a fake video of Drew Brees getting struck by lightning so it will go viral and then maybe people will sign up to use our sportsbook."
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) December 2, 2022
Sportsbook is doing a publicity stunt and released this fake video of Drew Brees to convince people he got struck by lightning and potentially died to promote “lightning bets”. Lame. pic.twitter.com/l9COkaWCrH
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 2, 2022
Sports news website Defector.com even used the headline “Drew Brees Struck By Idiotic Marketing Ploy, Not Lightning” to capture the public’s sentiment after the stunt.
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