NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees was not struck by lightning while filming a promotional video in Venezuela, despite a video posted online. The video was shared by several prominent sports personalities and sports journalists before being debunked as a "spoof."
Earlier this week, Brees shared on Twitter that he was "flying to a top-secret location" to film a promotional video for Pointsbet Sportsbook, a company which he owns a stake and serves as a brand ambassador.
The video shows the former New Orleans Saints quarterback getting ready for a video shoot while the skies are erupting with lightning behind him. The video shows a large, apparent lightning strike blinding the camera and people can be heard shouting.
New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill responded to the Twitter hubbub with a tweet of his own, saying simply, “He’s fine,” and following it up with another tweet that said “Spoof.”
Chase Daniel, who served as a longtime backup behind Brees in New Orleans, shared that Brees was fine.
"Don't worry, @drewbrees is fine. Just texted his wife... all good!" Daniel wrote.
In a post on Instagram, Brees later confirmed that he was "fine."
"The lightning must’ve thought I was wearing a Falcons jersey, that’s why it tried to get me 😂 I’m fine…Who Dat," Brees wrote.
The original video post did not provide any additional details about the lightning strike, or if Brees was injured. Pointsbet Sportsbook shared on Twitter that the company was "aware of the media coverage" about Brees, but declined to offer any other details.
"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," a tweet by the company said.
The video was shared by prominent sports personalities including Pat McAfee and NBC Sports.
"Drew Brees is fine. Nothing to worry about with that video floating around this morning," wrote Luke Johnson, a Saints reporter for the New Orleans Advocate | Times-Picayune.
Pointsbet Sportsbook recently launched a new live betting feature in October called "Lightning Bets."
