The NFL offensive lineman and crypto enthusiast found a creative way to take the Tesla boss to task.
Pro Bowl offensive tackle Russell Okung didn’t just send a message to Elon Musk over critical comments the outspoken billionaire made last month regarding Bitcoin mining and its impact on the environment.
He put it on a bunch of billboards.
“STICK TO SPACE, ELON,” reads a new series of super-sized ads placed throughout the Miami area prior to the city’s Bitcoin 2021 conference slated for June 4-5.
“Bitcoin is humanity’s best shot at freedom,” Okung told Boardroom. ” It’s important that the public narrative is accurate, which is why I’m encouraging Elon to stick to space.”
Okung, who became the first professional athlete known to be paid in cryptocurrency when he opted to have half his $13 million 2020 salary converted into Bitcoin, also included his Twitter handle and the URL to his Bitcoin advocacy website —bitcoinis.com — on each of the billboards.
Musk, on the other hand has been a bit critical of Bitcoin as of late — despite investing heavily in the cryptocurrency. In May, the billionaire announced that Tesla would no longer accept Bitcoin as a form of payment for electric vehicles, citing its “insane” energy use.
“Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this cannot come at great cost to the environment,” Musk said in a May 12 tweet.
Having become a known Bitcoin advocate throughout professional sports, Okung apparently took exception to the comments made by Musk and decided to push back in the form of some well-timed billboards as part of a two-week campaign “meant to provide a gentle reminder to the public that Musk has been around Bitcoin for only a few months and is not an authority in this domain.”
But he didn’t just stop at the Bitcoin conference in Miami, which is considered to be the “largest-ever cryptocurrency event” — Okung also reportedly placed mobile billboards near Musk’s SpaceX launch facility in Brownsville, Texas, and Tesla’s facility in Santa Clara, California.
The Miami conference is expected to draw more than 50,000 people, including the likes of Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey, The Winklevoss twins, and more.
Musk is not expected to attend.
Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.
