Social Media Blasts Drew Brees, PointsBet for Tasteless ‘Lightning’ Marketing Stunt

A video that appeared to show former Saints quarterback Drew Brees being struck by lightning while shooting a promo for PointsBet sportsbook lit up social media on Friday morning, until it was finally confirmed as fake by Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer and others.

From the start, whether or not the video was real, it seemed very troublesome for PointsBet. Either the company chose to send Brees and other staff into dangerous conditions and risked getting them hurt for a commercial, or they opted for a viral gag that left some wondering whether the 43-year-old quarterback had been injured or even killed for hours before reporters reached out to confirm his safety. Eventually, Brees and PointsBet both laughed off the situation on social media.

The stunt certainly drew attention to the sportsbook, but likely not the kind that they wanted. People within the sports world were pretty incensed by the entire situation.

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

I just said to a room full of producers, "If you guys see something about Drew Brees being struck by lightning, it's not true." I'd like to say I never expected to say a sentence such as this, but literally nothing surprises me anymore. https://t.co/fquX6LoFg2
— Sarah Hart (@sarahhart27) December 2, 2022

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

Latest proof that Drew Brees can't function properly outside of a dome
— Nick Parco (@nick_parco) December 2, 2022

either Drew Brees was struck by lightning filming a commercial and this is an awful statement or this is the worst publicity stunt to ever exist https://t.co/YRpFgeT5XW
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) December 2, 2022

Luckily Brees is O.K. and the worst that happened here was some brutal P.R. for a brand that thought it was being clever.