Drew Brees was not struck by lightning filming a commercial

Drew Brees. Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Brees was not struck by lightning filming a sports betting commercial

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 12/2/22

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees gave some folks quite a scare on Friday morning when he was at the center of an apparent marketing stunt that appeared to show him getting struck by lightning.

Brees was not, in fact, struck by lightning, and confirmed that in a text to Saints ESPN reporter Katherine Terrell.

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

If that seems like a wild thing to have to get confirmation on, it is.

Brees was in Venezuela filming a commercial for PointsBet USA Sportsbook when a video surfaced apparently showing Brees getting struck by lightning during the filming.

Everything about the story just seemed a little off.

For one, it just had the look of a viral marketing campaign. That was the first red flag.

There was also the fact that nobody associated with the Saints, the NFL, Brees' own inner circle, or any of the major NFL insiders had anything to say about one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history being struck by lightning. That was the second, and much larger, red flag.

There was also this odd statement from PointsBet themselves...

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

Is that really the statement you would make if somebody was struck by lightning? Only if you have the world's worst PR people.

Earlier this week Brees tweeted that he was flying to a top-secret location to film a commercial for PointsBet USA, and this was apparently that commercial.

That location was the Catatumbo River, a region that is known for constant lightning storms. But for as frequent as the lightning is, strikes on humans are considered to be rare.

According to the CDC, there are more than 40 million lightning strikes per year in the United States, while the odds of a human being struck are roughly one in a million while 90 percent of lightning strike victims end up surviving.

The Brees PR stunt did at least provide some good meme potential.