Drew Brees offers update after claims he was struck by lightning

Nov 25, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees waves to fans on the sidelines before the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The sports world was sent into a bit of a panic on Friday morning when a video circulated that claimed to show Drew Brees being struck by lightning. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The video, which appears to be a marketing ploy from online sportsbook PointsBet, shows Brees filming a commercial in a lightning storm when a bolt appears to hit right next to him. You can see the clip below:

Brees had tweeted earlier in the week that he was excited to be “flying to a top-secret location” to film a promo for PointsBet. After the lightning video went viral, PointsBet issued a statement saying they are aware of the Brees story and “will continue to monitor events throughout the coming hours.”

That may have also been part of the marketing ploy, because multiple NFL reporters were told Brees is fine.

PointsBet recently launched a feature called “lightning bets,” which gives users the opportunity to quickly make in-game wagers. Brees later confirmed the hoax was created to promote that.

It is unclear if the entire video was fabricated or if a bolt actually hit near Brees and he got lucky. Either way, the former New Orleans Saints star is very much alive and was not struck by lightning.