Drew Brees has been involved in some high-profile controversies since his retirement. Aside from the lightning fiasco,
New Jersey gaming regulators ordered sportsbooks to halt betting on the Citrus Bowl between Purdue and No. 17 LSU because of Brees’ relationship with the university and a gaming site. Brees, a Purdue alum, signed on to be an interim assistant coach with his alma mater for the bowl game. He was also a brand ambassador for PointsBet.
Brees joined PointsBet in June 2021 and went viral when people thought he was dead after a staged video showed him getting struck by lightning. The partnership ended a week after Brees signed on with Purdue, for “regulatory and legal compliance, responsible gaming practices, and the integrity of legal sports betting.”
He recently spoke about why he decided to coach the team.
“First and foremost, I’m doing this for Purdue University because I love my school,” Brees said, via Saturday Tradition. “I love my school, and obviously, there was a transition period from the Big Ten Championship Game to this bowl game. Immediately I thought, look we’ve got a bowl game to play, we’ve got a bowl game to go win, and these guys deserve the best opportunity and best experience there. I called up Purdue and said if you need me, I’m ready. They said internally they had been having the same conversation, so let’s do it.”
Brees played for the Boilermakers from 1997 to 2000 and was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He spent his first 5 seasons with the team before playing for the New Orleans Saints until his retirement in 2020. Brees was a 13-time Pro Bowler who also won the Super Bowl in 2010.
His involvement with Purdue did not help as the team lost the Citrus Bowl 63-7.
