Many thought a fan shown on the Texans-Ravens broadcast bore a resemblance to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which King's daughter agreed with. Photo Credit: ABC Many thought a fan shown on the Texans-Ravens broadcast bore a resemblance to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which King’s daughter agreed with. (Awful Announcing on Twitter.)

Wardell Roberts, who had social media buzzing Saturday for his uncanny resemblance to Martin Luther King Jr., is as surprised as everyone else about what happened.

The Baltimore Banner featured Roberts in a story Monday, recounting the bizarre series of events that turned him viral.

Roberts said he knew immediately he’d been shown on TV during the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans playoff game, because friends texted him.

But the Ravens fan assumed the broadcast had shown him to focus on the animated and shirtless fan seated behind him. Yet it didn’t take long before fans on social media noted Roberts’ resemblance to the late civil rights leader.

The topic trended so quickly on X/Twitter that King’s daughter Bernice, CEO of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, retweeted a message that read “MLK done resurrected to witness a Lamar playoff masterpiece.”

“I have a great sense of humor, ya’ll,” King wrote in her message, which included her father in a pose similar to the one shown by Roberts.

“This post is funny. Some posts about/uses of my father’s image are not. This man resembles Daddy, tho.”

https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/1748893051286614055

Roberts said he had planned to go home and try to find the scene during the game where the cameras showed him. But as he left the game, friends kept texting.

“It didn’t stop,” Roberts said (via the Baltimore Banner). “Everybody started sending it. They’re all saying, ‘You’re trending right now.’ It was everywhere. Even Dr. King’s daughter saw it and got a chuckle out of it.”

It’s not the first time Roberts has been compared to King in terms of appearance. He said he’s heard that from friends.

But to get the NFL world buzzing about that fact seemed a stretch. Roberts, who works in security, said his 8-year-old son, Karson, has enjoyed the attention at school, especially since his class recently studied MLK.

“He’s a little mad that nobody is recognizing him, but he was just learning about MLK this week so he thinks it’s the greatest thing ever,” Roberts said.

[TheBaltimoreBanner.com; Photo Credit: ABC]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.