FanDuel Changing Carl Weathers Super Bowl Ad After His Death
FanDuel started a working relationship with Carl Weathers this year for its Super Bowl ads. The ad featured former Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski and played off him showing how hard it is to kick a field goal in the NFL. In the ad, Carl is a trainer, which plays off one of his more iconic movie roles.
However, Weathers sadly passed away this past week, so FanDuel has announced they will adjust their Super Bowl ads that had Weathers and Gronkowski in the main roles. Here is what FanDuel had to say.
FanDuel adjusting Super Bowl ads featuring Carl Weathers
The FanDuel Super Bowl ads poked fun at Rob Gronkowski, and how he was unable to kick a field goal – despite his athletic prowess. In last year’s ads, Rob was going to kick a field goal in a spot at the Super Bowl. People bet on the kick and then when Rob went out, things went bad. He kicked the ball and missed it to the left. This year’s “Kick of Destiny 2” commercial plays off that miss.
In the ad, Rob is dejected. John Cena is in the ad and is mocking Rob, saying he is washed up and finished. However, that is when Carl Weathers shows up and offers to help train Rob to be stronger than ever. Weathers’ most famous role was as world champion boxer Apollo Creed in Rocky. However, he also had a fan-beloved role in the comedy Happy Gilmore. In that movie, he set out to help train Happy on how to become a successful golfer with a gruff and no-nonsense style.
He took on that persona in this FanDuel Super Bowl ad. However, there is a good chance it won’t make it to the Super Bowl as is. Carl Weathers died this past week and FanDuel announced that would “adjust” the ad out of respect for his family during their time of grief. They added, “Carl was an iconic talent who had a profound impact on the people he worked with on and off the screen. FanDuel was fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with him during our Super Bowl campaign.”
Carl Weathers dies in his sleep this past week
Carl Weathers died on February 1 in his sleep. His family announced his passing via a statement. He was 76. “Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life,” his family wrote in the statement (via Deadline). “Through his contributions to film, television, the arts, and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations.”
Most fans know Carl Weathers from his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise. He was the world champion who beat Rocky in the first movie. They had a rematch in the second film, which gave Weathers a bigger chance to show how great of an actor he was. In the third movie, he is beaten up by Clubber Lang (Mr. T). In the fourth, he died in the ring fighting Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
Outside of Rocky, Carl was also in several other big roles. He took on the aforementioned role of Derick “Chubbs” Peterson, a former pro golfer who had his hand eaten by an alligator. Chubbs trained former hockey player Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) to become a golfer. He also played one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s soldiers in the first Predator movie and starred in his own action movie, Action Jackson.
Most recently, Weathers joined the Star Wars franchise, where he played Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. He picked up an Emmy nomination for that role.
What are your thoughts on FanDuel changing up the Super Bowl ad with Carl Weathers after his death? Do you have a favorite Weathers role you remember him from? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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