Draft Kings Apologizes For Promoting A 9/11-Themed Parlay

Another 9/11-themed promotion has hit the internet, leading to backlash, an apology and bewilderment as to how such an idea could ever have been approved in the first place.

The culprit this year is Draft Kings, a sports betting site that offered a special "Never Forget" parlay in which people could bet that the New York Mets, New York Yankees and New York Jets would all win their games this evening.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, crafting a 9/11-themed sports bet was not seen as particularly respectful of the magnitude 9/11 still holds for many Americans, and the parlay was lambasted on social media.

Hours after the ill-advised parlay made a splash on social media, Draft Kings took it down and tweeted an apology for the promotion. "We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected," it wrote.

Draft Kings' "Never Forget" parlay is hardly the first time a brand has gotten into trouble for attempting to build an advertising promotion around 9/11, nor is it the worst. That "honor" would likely go to Miracle Mattress in San Antonio, who released a commercial about a 9/11-themed sale in 2016. In 2013, AT&T also got into hot water for releasing a social media advertising campaign centered around 9/11.