DraftKings receives backlash for 'Never Forget' 9/11 parlay on New York teams

Sports betting company DraftKings received heavy backlash on social media Monday after it posted a 9/11-themed parlay on its app.

Social media users shared screenshots of the DraftKings app Sunday night of a parlay named "Never Forget." The parlay included a New York Mets, Yankees and Jets win on Monday, 22 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

"Bet these New York teams to win tonight on 9/11," the parlay description read.

The parlay was available on the app Sunday night and was up Monday morning, with people disapproving of the sports betting company attempting to profit off 9/11.

The parlay was taken down Monday, and DraftKings posted an apology for featuring it.

"We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11," the statement read. "We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected."

'It is shameful'

Bret Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the World Trade Center, runs a families and first responders organization called 9/11 Justice. He decried the DraftKings offer as “tone-deaf.”

“It is shameful to use the national tragedy of 9/11 to promote a business,” he told The Associated Press. “We need accountability, justice and closure, not self-interest and shameless promotion.”

The company would not say how many people placed bets as a result of the offer, nor whether those bets remain valid or whether they have been canceled.

Contributing: Associated Press