The debate over FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s announcement that he plans to resign took an unusual turn Tuesday on ESPN.
During a discussion on “SportsCenter” about the corruption scandal surrounding soccer’s governing body, veteran sportscaster Bob Ley caught fans off guard by quoting Omar Little of HBO’s “The Wire.”
“Come at the king, you best not miss,” Ley said in reference to Blatter’s shocking announcement that he will step down just four days after he was re-elected.
Ley’s homage to Omar, a notorious Baltimore stick-up man, set social media on fire — making ESPN’s longest-serving broadcaster a top trend on Twitter.
“Much respect to Bob Ley for quoting Omar from The Wire #boss,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another chimed in with, “Bob Ley, like Omar Little, knows a man’s gotta have a code.”
In an interview with TheWrap later in the day, Ley admitted he’s a huge fan of the critically-acclaimed series, which aired from 2002-2008.
“I devoured ‘The Wire.’ I watched it four to five times just to study it. I love it,” he said. “It’s so well-crafted, anybody who enjoys reading books, I think would enjoy watching ‘The Wire.’”
Ley dropped his Omar knowledge just as ESPN announced he had signed a long-term contract extension to remain with the network. Ley, 60, has been with ESPN since 1979 and currently hosts “Outside the Lines.”
Below is a sampling of reaction to his Omar reference, along with a link to a clip of the HBO character delivering the famous line himself.
https://twitter.com/TheJacksonLong/status/605817107196997632
Much respect to Bob Ley for quoting Omar from The Wire #boss
— Chris Edison (@youcant_CME) June 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/AutumnFlorek/status/605806455980060672
https://twitter.com/jefftilson/status/605813589555843072
The fact that #BobLey know Omar from #TheWire and quoted him makes this day awesome
— Hallsboro Ray (@KennethBracy) June 2, 2015
@BobLeyESPN today is ur Oscar performance Bob! Well done
— Chris Pedersen (@pedersen44) June 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/el_prezidente10/status/605821270685421569
Bob Ley trending for most of the day on Twitter, for a good reason.
Great work today by the general. pic.twitter.com/xRTIRocTJA— Scott Turken (@Turk0219) June 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/WhitlockJason/status/605806813221486593
Bob Ley always brings the goods. pic.twitter.com/yMameYQo3T
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) June 2, 2015
You can watch Omar deliver the line by clicking here.