Watch Bob Ley sign off of ESPN’s ‘Outside The Lines’ one last time

Legendary ESPN lifer Bob Ley announced his retirement on Wednesday and made his final Outside the Lines appearance later in the day.

But he wasn’t the anchor of the show he hosted for so long. Instead, Jeremy Schaap interviewed the anchor and reporter, and their conversation ended with a toast and the use of a Beatles quote — that’s Schaap citing John Lennon’s “I hope we passed the audition” at the end of the band’s final public performance, before they would break up.

As the credits rolled, Ley looked at the camera and said, “God bless and thank you.”

Here’s that final moment from Wednesday’s broadcast:

.@BobLeyESPN signs off one last time. pic.twitter.com/K5XlVnarFv

— Outside The Lines (@OTLonESPN) June 26, 2019

And here’s the video tribute narrated by Schaap:

For 40 years, he has made every colleague and every show better. Thank you, @BobLeyESPN. We’ll keep making you proud. pic.twitter.com/7VYGGUWNgI

— Outside The Lines (@OTLonESPN) June 26, 2019

Ley also talked about why he was stepping down:

I think a lot of us who work in media feel the same way as Bob. Amazing he did it so long (40 years!) at such a high level. OTL doing a great job thus far on Bob's career. pic.twitter.com/WaeaJYV1Cf

— Ben Koo (@bkoo) June 26, 2019