Ex-Purdue star QB Drew Brees lightning strike was publicity stunt by gambling company
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Apparently nothing gets people to want to gamble on sports like faking potential serious injury to one of the greatest quarterbacks in Purdue history.
Early Friday morning, a tweet by Rafael Hernandez said former Purdue and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was struck by lightning while filming a promotional video for Points Bet in Venezuela. Hernandez, who is listed as a filmmaker on his Twitter bio, included video and said, "More info in a few minutes," but didn't tweet again.
Points Bet tweeted: "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."
NFL star @drewbrees gets hit by Lightning in Catatumbo while filming a promotional video... More info in a few minutes... https://t.co/QNYsF3WDwh
— Rafael Hernández (@sincepto) December 2, 2022
Points Bet confirmed at 11:10 a.m. it was a gag. Brees had already confirmed to multiple media outlets that he was fine. ESPN Saints reporter Kat Terrell tweeted: "I just texted Drew Brees. He said he's good and that he did not get struck by lightning."
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
Nick Underhill, who covers the Saints for neworleans.football, tweeted: "He's fine," in reference to Brees.
He's fine https://t.co/bdNrTYZxRw
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) December 2, 2022
Brees tweeted earlier this week that he was flying to a top-secret location to shoot a promotional video, which he confirmed was Catatumbo, Venezuela, in the latest video.
Excited to be flying to a top-secret location later this week to shoot the new promotional video for @PointsBetUSA
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) November 30, 2022
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
Catatumbo has a river that is known for an atmospheric phenomenon that produces storm clouds 150 nights a year for up to nine hours per day with lightning flashing 28 times per minute according to tripsavvy.com.
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
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 2, 2022
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Drew Brees lightning strike was a publicity stunt