Earlier this morning, we reported on how legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees was reportedly struck by lightning. Brees was filming near Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela for PointsBet Sportsbook. For those who may not know, Lake Maracaibo is known for its nightly lightning storms.
In the video below, you can see a bolt of lightning strike Brees. It was an incredibly distressing video, especially since it looked real to those watching it. However, there was this feeling that it could have been faked as a promotional tool for the Sportsbook.
PointsBet Responds
Immediately after the lightning strike went viral, PointsBet Sportsbook issued a statement of sorts. As you will read, they were very hush-hush about what was going on. Overall, it was a very bland statement that didn't actually explain anything. Subsequently, this led to even more speculation that this was all one big publicity stunt.
Per PointsBet Sportsbook:
"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."
Drew Brees Is Fine
Just a few minutes ago, Saints reporter Katherine Terrell revealed that she had texted Brees. The Saints QB confirmed that he did not get struck by lightning and that was doing just fine. Simply put, Brees furthered the idea that this could be a hoax.
As you can imagine, people are fairly upset with the quarterback, as well as the Sportsbook. These kinds of publicity stunts are in extremely poor taste, and for the most part, they will only hurt the brand. Whoever runs their marketing department is in for a very bad day. However, it is possible that lightning did strike, and that it simply missed Brees by a few inches.
Overall, it is good to see that Brees was okay. However, it sucks that so many people had to be fearful for his life in the process. Needless to say, other brands should pay attention to this as a lesson in what not to do.
[Via]