11 Billboards Show Fan Reaction To Suh Leaving: '$CRUHED!'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Before defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh made his decision on whether to forego free agency and stay with the Detroit Lions, a set of billboards referencing him questioned, "$UH?"
Now that Suh has reportedly agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins for a whopping $114 million over six years, a new set of billboards proclaim, "$CRUHED!"
Carly Zipp, the communications director for Outfront Media, said the company expected that the same anonymous group of a few Lions fans who paid for the first set of billboards about Suh would have a followup message. Indeed, the group reached out again soon after news broke about Suh's impending departure.
Free agency does not officially begin until 4 p.m. Tuesday, when 2014 player contracts expire, but teams and agents of free agents were allowed to engage in contract negotiations beginning March 7.
"Following his decision to sign with the Dolphins, the same group of anonymous fans decided to sponsor 11 billboards around Detroit, Grand Rapids and Flint that basically kind of depict how they feel and I'm sure how most Lions fans feel about the decision," Zipp said. "It's gotten a lot of buzz, the whole thing, and I think that for them it's just a great way to kind of say how they feel without saying too much and kind of get the conversation going. And there's been a lot of reaction to the original one, and so I think the whole point of it is just to kind of keep the conversation going."
Since the billboards are digital, Outfront was able to distribute the fans' message quickly.
"It all kind of happened instantaneously," Zipp said. "With the decision, they came to us, [and] we were able to put it up pretty quickly."
