Sunday night’s Super Bowl LVIII FanDuel ad featuring the late Carl Weathers was adjusted to reflect the actor’s death — and included a touching on-screen tribute to him.
“Thank You, Carl 1948-2024,” read an on-screen graphic right after Weathers said to Rob Gronkowski, who co-starred in the retooled ad, “You gave us your all, Gronk.”
Weathers, who famously played Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise, died “peacefully in his sleep” on Feb. 1 at the age of 76, according to a statement his family released to Deadline.
He died as a result of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to his death certificate.
A previously released teaser for the FanDuel ad showed Weathers as an Apollo Creed-type coach helping NFL legend Gronkowski prepare for FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny 2″ event.
In another 30-second FanDuel tease, a distraught Gronk walks alone in the desert until Weathers pulls up on a motorcycle and urges him to continue practicing his kick.
“And this time, you won’t miss,” Weathers tells him. “Get in.”
It’s the second consecutive year that Gronkowski, who starred as a tight end for the New England Patriots and is a four-time Super Bowl winner, has attempted to kick a field goal on Super Bowl Sunday. Fans who placed a bet on FanDuel Sportsbook had the chance to win $10 million collectively.
Last year, he missed his “Kick of Destiny,” a 25-yard field goal aired live during the Super Bowl. He also missed the kick on Sunday night.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carl Weathers,” a spokesperson for FanDuel told The Post in a statement on Feb. 2. “Throughout his life, 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,” the statement concluded. “We are adjusting our campaign accordingly out of respect for the family during their time of grief.”
According to Variety, FanDuel said it would slightly alter the ad after Weathers’ untimely death and that Weathers would still appear.
Andrew Sneyd, FanDuel’s executive vice president of marketing, told the publication that, after consulting with Weathers’ survivors, FanDuel intended to make “appropriate” changes to the commercial. “The family has been very supportive, and they would still like to see Carl in the work,” Sneyd said.
But Sneyd explained that the way two versions of the commercial were edited would not be appropriate in the wake of Weathers’ death.
“We had built a master. One is an edit if he makes the kick, and we have an edit if he misses,” he said. “That content we had in those masters wouldn’t be appropriate for us to do any more.
“Since the news of Carl’s passing came, we have been working with editors to help us get back to something that does make sense.”
He added that FanDuel communicated with the Weathers family to make sure they were “comfortable.”
“We have been viewing edits through tears,” Sneyd told Variety. “We really enjoyed the short time we had to work with him. He’s a wonderful man, and he genuinely is an inspiration and had such a positive outlook on the world. We want to make sure we try to meet this moment with the respect it deserves.”
Weathers, a San Diego State University college football star, played in the NFL for the then-Oakland Raiders as a linebacker/safety for two years, from 1970 to 1971.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in drama from San Francisco State University. He pivoted to acting, appearing in many 1970s-era TV shows (“Good Times,” “Cannon,” “Kung Fu,” “Starsky and Hutch,” and more) before his big role as Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky,” “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” and “Rocky IV.”
He also appeared on the big screen in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” and “Little Nicky.”
He continued to act in movies and in TV, with his résumé including roles on “Arrested Development,” “The Shield,” the Fox sitcom “Brothers” and, in 2019, in two episodes of “The Mandalorian,” as Greef Karga.
