What started a playful joke last week has turned into quite the embarrassment for one Boston area company.
Clear Channel Outdoor Boston (CCO) fashioned signs on several electronic billboards last week with a clock counting down to "Ray's Retirement Party." The party, which was supposed to be the AFC championship game, never happened.
In the wake of the Patriots' loss, CCO changed the billboards to reflect their embarrassment. The countdown was gone, and it had been replaced by a face with a shattered egg on it and the word "Welp."
But the humiliation didn't stop there. After Sunday's game, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith had this to say about the billboards:
Someone in New England wasted a lot of money on that Ray Lewis retirement billboard
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) January 21, 2013
And according to a story published Monday on Boston.com, even Lewis himself was affected by the signs.
"I was hurt when I saw a sign that actually said my retirement would [start] tonight," Lewis said after Sunday's game. "Man can’t dictate that. God dictates that."
The billboard's actual affect on the game remains nebulous, but this much is for sure: CCO Boston will think twice before they taunt another legendary athlete.
