PointsBet appears to have attempted a horrible publicity stunt involving tricking people into thinking Drew Brees getting struck by lightning.
We donāt know exactly what happened just yet with the bizarre video that went viral on Friday morning, but Drew Brees is fine and has not been struck by lightning. Thatās the important part.
Hereās everything to know about the original video and incident itself, but the one-sentence summation is: A video got shared of Drew Brees suggesting he was struck by lightning while recording a commercial for PointsBet.
Itās unconfirmed, but it does look like it may have been a poorly thought-out marketing stunt by PointsBet. Nick Underhill reported it was a, āspoof.ā For what itās worth, this has been PointsBetās only comment on the situation thus far:
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.
ā PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 2, 2022
If it was, indeed a marketing stunt, it was a particularly bad one. Pro tip: Your marketing campaign will be better off if you try to avoid resembling the National Enquirer. Letās hope thereās some detail that will make this situation a little better, but itĀ looks like they tried to trick fans into thinking Drew Breesā safety was in question. Not cool if thatās the case!
UPDATE:Ā PointsBet has confirmed this was a marketing stunt. Boo them! Boooooo!
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
ā PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 2, 2022
Twitter thinks PointsBet is to blame for the situation, and theyāre dragging them for it
Twitter had some fun once they learned Brees was, in fact, safe.
Not a good look for PointsBet no matter how this turns out:
Either Drew Brees was fully struck by lightning or PointsBet's running the worst marketing scheme of all-time.
ā Carlos Verde (@Carlos77Verde) December 2, 2022
Lawsuit or court of public opinion ā either way, PointsBet is about to get slaughtered. https://t.co/PzBh1JpKI3
Pointsbet getting Drew Brees ready for his next commercial pic.twitter.com/hh1PndmhQ6
ā Matt (@HanselFranzel) December 2, 2022
PointsBet trying to explain the fake Drew Brees lightning promo pic.twitter.com/u8eCE6vSW6
ā NickyBeaster (@NickyBeaster) December 2, 2022
I would like a recording of the PointsBet marketing meeting where someone suggested they fake kill Drew Brees in a lightning strike.
ā Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) December 2, 2022
"this will go viral, it'll be so cool"
- 19 year old Gen Z intern from Yale
If this is real, itās incredibly scary and hope Drew Brees is okay!
ā Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) December 2, 2022
If itās fake, what the hell are we doing this morning? https://t.co/qi92U2qHCB
The sportsbook economy is out of control:
This Drew Brees-Points Bet thing has confirmed to me that weāve given sports gambling companies waaaay too much money and power
ā sarah kelly (@thesarahkelly) December 2, 2022
People were actually fooled into thinking Drew Brees got struck by lightning? Why would you be shooting a commercial for a betting app in fucking Venezuela in the middle of a lightning storm?
ā Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) December 2, 2022
Katherine Terrell texted with Brees, and Zack Blatt pointed out how funny it was that her (very good!) journalism career has come to this:
when you started your journalism career did you think it would lead to you texting Drew Brees asking if he was struck by lightning
ā Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 2, 2022
For those gamers out there:
Whoa! BREAKING: The extended footage of Drew Brees getting struck by lightning proves it was real pic.twitter.com/WP78c98yZr
ā Matt Lyons (@mattrly) December 2, 2022
For ourĀ The RehearsalĀ fans:
āso Drew Brees wanted to experience what it would be like to be struck by lightningā pic.twitter.com/WZh1XePO8g
ā Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) December 2, 2022
AndĀ Nathan for You:
Chris Paul had the attention pulled away from him on Twitter this morning. He owes PointsBet some thanks:
chris paul owes drew brees an edible arrangement or something
ā Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 2, 2022