Detroit Lions Roar —Refs Should Have Counted the Score

By Amber Larkins, OOH Today

Last weekend, the Detroit Lions faced the Dallas Cowboys and lost due to a referee’s call. Now the OOH world and X, formerly known as Twitter, are up in arms over digital billboards in Michigan that went live Wednesday. 

Detroit, never change. 😂

There are several of these billboards around metro Detroit along I-75 and 696. pic.twitter.com/Bx7VZbFtWg

— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) January 3, 2024

The billboards, paid for by “Anonymous Donor,” had the message “Decker Reported” with 11-5 crossed out in favor of 12-4, showing what their record would have been for the season if they had won the game against the Cowboys. 

Taylor Decker, an offensive lineman caught the ball on a two-point conversion but supposedly did not properly report his intention to be a receiver. 

In football, there are seven offensive linemen on the line of scrimmage. The two men on each end of this line are the only ones allowed to catch a forward pass. The other five are blockers only. Their job is to protect the quarterback. Decker was one of these blockers. 

There are some situations where an offensive lineman could be eligible to receive a pass. He would have to immediately report his change in eligibility status to the referee, through both a verbal report and a physical signal of moving both his hands up and down in front of his chest. The referee must inform the defensive team and announce the change to the stadium before the play. Any eligible receiver must then line up and remain in an eligible position and not be covered up by any other player to avoid an illegal formation. This eligibility only applies to one play. The whole process must be done over again if the player wishes to continue his eligibility to receive. 

The referee nullified the two-points and now the message has gone viral: 

They should put them up around Baltimore near the stadium for the officiating crew to see this weekend

— HMan (@BruceHulkman) January 3, 2024

Detroit has been in shambles for decades with no industry what so ever but hey billboards

— boo duggan (@Me35758149) January 3, 2024

If someone says, “just get over it”, remind them of the millions of dollars a second home playoff game could have meant to the City and its businesses…

— mark kaline (@MarkKaline) January 3, 2024

But who is this mysterious Lady Whistledown of Detroit Football? Can we unmask the anonymous billboard donor? 

This is not the first time passions have run so high on the path to the Superbowl that fans feelings were sized 14X48. In 2019, Matt Bower, a car-dealership owner and diehard New Orleans Saints fan rented billboard locations in and around Atlanta to voice his displeasure with the NFL after their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. 

Could the anonymous donor be Dan Gilbert, majority-owner of Quicken Loans, and one of the most successful businessmen in Detroit? 

Or perhaps it wasn’t just one fan but a group of fans who got together and bought the boards? Did the Detroit Lions fan club pool together their money to get their message to Michigan?

Or could it be the Billboard owners themselves? After all, they do own the inventory. And anonymity is perfect means to add to the drama. 

Whoever it was, it certainly was a win for the outdoor advertising industry, with the advertisement spawning multiple news articles and high engagement on social media. 

What are your thoughts on this? Reach out to billboard@oohtoday.com and let us know.