Drew Brees Is 'Alive and Well' After Staged Viral Video Shows Him Struck by Lightning

Drew Brees.Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty

The staged video,which was first shared on Thursday night, showed Brees standing in front of a camera crew before lightning strikes him and the video goes dark.

By Friday morning,PointsBet had released a written statementon Twitter, confirming they were aware of the video and adding to the stunt, saying they “are in communication with Brees' team.”

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“We are aware of the media coverage regarding PointsBet brand ambassador Drew Brees,” the company wrote. “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.”

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Approximately two hours later, PointsBet posted a video explaining the spoof. “Time to let you in on a little fun we’ve had,” the company tweeted, confirming that Brees is “alive and well and ‘buzzing’ for a weekend of free bets.”

Brees then stands up and leaves the ambulance, saying, “hopefully, lightning doesn’t strike twice,” as he pretends to be struck again.

Apparently, Brees and PointsBet’s inspiration behind the spoof came from the idea that the former NFL star is “buzzing” over new bet drops from the company.

Brees began dropping hints for the viral prank on Monday, whenhe told his Twitter followershe was traveling to a “top-secret location” later in the week to film a promo for PointsBet.

source: people.com