The two ads tell the story of a struggling Rob Gronkowski, who’s devastated by how he missed a big field goal at the gambling event “Kick of Destiny” last year. Poor Rob is beating himself up for his failure, but Carl Weathers is there to help him get a second chance. In the second ad, Rob tries the field goal again and squanders his second chance, but the ad doesn’t want us to see it as a tragedy. Not only does John Cena’s character make a lot of money off Rob’s failure, but Weathers is watching on TV, and he’s just proud of Rob for trying his best.
“Thank you, Carl” – FanDuel pays tribute to the late Carl Weathers in their #SuperBowl Kick of Destiny spot pic.twitter.com/KVAmSzTNWl
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 12, 2024
It’s a role for Weathers that’s funny, sure, but it’s also weirdly touching and unexpected. It encapsulates so much of the charm and subversive humor we’ve come to know the actor for. It may have been risky to still include Weathers in these ads so soon after his death, but this was at least as sweet a farewell as we could’ve hoped for. Who knew a gambling ad could warm the heart so much?