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Former MLB pitcher John Rocker was back in the hot seat this week after making disparaging remarks about Uber drivers in a critical social media post.
The former Atlanta Braves closer has made some brash comments in the past, and he made another one that will be at the top of this list.
Rocker reached out to X to request an “American Citizen Driver” option on the popular ride-sharing app.
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Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker pitches in the 10th inning of an MLB game. (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
“There should be an ‘American Citizen Drive’ selection option on Uber. I don’t want to be driven by someone who rode a camel 12 months ago,” Rocker said in a derogatory tone.
This isn’t Rocker’s first controversial comment. In 1999, he was quoted as saying that he would never play for the New York Yankees or the Mets because he didn’t want to “take the 7 train to the ballpark looking like he’s going through Beirut next to a kid with purple hair, right next to a q—r with AIDS, right next to a dude who just got out of prison for the fourth time, right next to a 20-year-old mom with four children.”
John Rocker of the Atlanta Braves taunts fans during a media interview after Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets in Flushing, New York, October 17, 1999. (Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated)
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“The thing I don’t like most about New York is the foreigners. You can walk a whole block in Times Square and not hear anyone speaking English. Asians, Koreans, Vietnamese, Indians, Russians and Spaniards and all up there. How the hell did they get to this country?” he said. Rocker’s last professional baseball team was the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Rocker was suspended 28 games in 2000 due to the comments he posted, among other things.
Rocker also recently posted that the Super Bowl would be “stained” by Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, calling him a “cross-dressing singer who barely speaks English.”
Atlanta Braves John Rocker during a game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. (VJ Lovero/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Playing for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays during his six-year career, Rocker had 88 saves, all but three from 1999 to 2001, and posted a 3.42 ERA. His best season came in 1999, when he became a dominant closer for the Braves during their National League pennant-winning season. He struck out 104 batters in 72.1 innings and pitched to a 2.49 ERA.
