Nine years after John Rocker was suspended from baseball for racist and anti-gay slurs, he’s still at it. Before allegedly being tossed from the grand opening of a new W Hotel in Buckhead near Atlanta, Rocker reportedly called local sports talk show host Steak Shapiro a ‘Jew faggot.’
“[Faggot] is one of his favorite terms and he used it multiple times,” Shapiro told the Southern Voice. “His exact words at least three times [were], ‘You Jew faggot.’ He is a pathetic guy.”
Rocker doesn’t deny it in an interview with Deadspin. In fact, he says he loves using at least one homophobic slurs:
Deadspin: Did you call him a faggot?
JR: I don’t know. Maybe. I can’t remember.
Deadspin: Okay…did you call him a “motherfucking cocksucker”?
JR: Yeah, I definitely did. I like saying that. I say that a lot.
I don’t think Shapiro deserved to be called either a Jew or a faggot; There’s no need for that. On the flip side, he probably deserved a good lashing from Rocker. By all reports, Shapiro has been merciless about Rocker over the years, as so many big mouths on radio are with easy targets. So while Rocker went too far with the name-calling, I wonder how much of the tongue lashing Shapiro did actually deserve.
Still, Rocker could have gone a couple ways after his nasty incident nine years ago. He could have gone the way Tim Hardaway did, trying to make amends. Or he could just keep being a raging asshole. Unfortunately, he chose the latter.
Via Queers United and Deadspin
on Jan 27th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Uh, maybe it is just me, but that pic of him above half naked is SO HOMO erotic. He may want to re-think whom he calls a faggot.
on Jan 28th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
There is an old gay erotic story that very much resembles him. I sometimes wonder, the way he reacts to us, if that story is not true.
on Jan 29th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Rocker is a damn good looking man, too bad he can’t let his homophobic hair down…and accept what he is.There’s no question, he is just too damn obsessive about useing the word cocksucker…He says he likes that word ALOT! Most men do! Gay and straight. You’d think by now he would realize how ignorant he is. He just keeps making an real ASS of himself. Like most biggots, he can’t see the difference between biggot and faggot.
on Jan 29th, 2009 at 8:40 am
What always puzzled me was, people who make comments like that and behave the way he does are usually from impoverished backgrounds (e.g. trailer trash etc), but Rocker’s parents were both highly educated professors. Did they just ignore their child-rearing responsibilities when he was growing up?
On the other hand Mel Gibson’s father, a despicable Holocaust denier, was also a Jeopardy champion, so maybe intelligence doesn’t always count for very much.
on Jan 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
It’s sad this big mouthed douche bag is built and pretty hot. Serious closet case. I am convinced that if he’s not hitting the books stores for some annonomous hooks when he’s outa sight of his GF she uses a big ol’ strap on to peg the daylights outa him
on Jan 30th, 2009 at 12:59 am
There are too many interesting people — and hot guys — in the world to waste any breath on John Rocker.
I’m just surprised he hasn’t died in one of those horrible, drunken home-safety accidents that always seem to happen to his ilk.
on Jan 30th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I’m a long time Atlanta Braves fan and used to like to see Rocker run from the bullpen like a damn maniac. But–this a-hole is still a prejudiced jerk. Any way, why is Rocker holding a bat in the photo? Dudes, a pitcher; he should be holding some balls. Anyway, John looks hot in the photo.