Wardell Roberts, a Baltimore Ravens fan, has set the internet on fire with his striking likeness to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the late civil rights icon.
During the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ divisional playoff match against the Houston Texans on Saturday night, television cameras caught Roberts, who was wearing a Ravens starter jacket and hat, sitting in the stands and staring into the distance, according to the Baltimore Ravens.
Unexpectedly for Roberts, the episode became popular after that. He received numerous texts from friends and family notifying him that he had appeared on television. At first, he anticipated the spotlight to be on a shirtless supporter who had been noisy throughout the game in Section 101, behind him in row 2.
He told The Baltimore Banner, “I figured the camera would find him. Thought I might go home, run it back on the DVR, see us on the screen and that’s it.”
Roberts had not understand he was trending on Twitter as he does not have an account. He spent the rest of the game celebrating his victory with his wife Karla and his 8-year-old son Karson, not giving his phone any consideration until they all joined the mob of fans exiting the stadium.
The Frederick resident said that once he became aware, “It didn’t stop. Everybody started sending it. They’re all saying, ‘You’re trending right now.’ It was everywhere. Even Dr. King’s daughter [Bernice King] saw it and got a chuckle out of it.”
The late activist’s daughter, Bernice King, who also saw the post, commented “Hmm” with a laughing emoji.
The 60-year-old also posted a picture of her late father with the caption “I have a great sense of humor, ya’ll. This post is funny. Some posts about/uses of my father’s image are not. This man resembles Daddy, tho.”
Roberts, a Salisbury-educated security guard and flag football coach, admitted that while in college, some acquaintances noticed his resemblance to King, but he never considered it.
The comparison, however, delighted his kid the most because he had recently studied King’s legacy at school before to the national holiday commemorating him.