Bob Ley Said ‘It Really Ticked Me Off’ That Sergio Dipp Got Twitter Hate For His ‘MNF’ Debut

ESPN’s first ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast of the season was a night to remember for media critics. Beth Mowins was the first female broadcaster to cover a national TV game in decades and Rex Ryan was underwhelming in his first big spotlight as an ESPN commenter.

But ESPN Deportes broadcaster Sergio Dipp’s debut as an NFL sideline reporter stole the show on Monday night, first for being cringeworthy and awkward and later for being a heartwarming story of one man taking an L on the internet with dignity and grace.

Many people came to Dipp’s defense on Monday night and into Tuesday, and for good reason. He’s a Mexican-American broadcaster speaking English as a second language on national television. ESPN putting him in that position is one thing, but what Dipp was trying to do was certainly not easy.

On Outside the Lines on Tuesday, ESPN veteran Bob Ley pointed that out and used his own bilingual experience as an example. Ley defended Dipp throughout the segment, saying it “really ticked me off” that so many people took to the Internet to make fun of him.

Ley told a story about his time covering soccer in Honduras and being put into a similar position: live television in a second language.

“Eight years ago, when I was covering a World Cup qualifier in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a local television producer asked me if I would be interviewed there, could I try to do it in Spanish. Now, I know a little soccer Spanish — get around the game a little bit. So, I gave it a shot. I tell ya, after 20 seconds, I had to stop down. I had to apologize and say, ‘Guys, I’m sorry, we gotta do this in English.’”

Ley said he respects anyone who tries to speak English as a second language on air, as many of his colleagues have over the years.

“I’ve worked with many people from that sport from all over the world who comment live on the air. English is their second language and my respect for them doing that is absolutely unbridled,” Ley said.

After the game, Dipp posted an apology video to Twitter that commented on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks and what his initial sideline report was meant to convey. Ley shared part of his apology video on the broadcast, noting that “Sergio does not need me to say anything today.”

Here’s Dipp’s apology:

“All I wanted to do was show some respect making my debut as a minority on American national TV on the most heartfelt day in this great country made up by immigrants and in some people’s perspective it all went wrong,” Dipp said. “But I truly meant no disrespect because all I wanted to do was to show some love to these two historical head coaches.”

Other ESPN colleagues also defended Dipp on Tuesday, including Jemele Hill.

Dipp said he hopes he gets another chance at the gig. He seems to have handled the whole thing with grace, so hopefully he’s less nervous the next time he’s in the spotlight.