Major League Baseball

Former Braves hothead Rocker to appear on next season of 'Survivor'

Published Aug. 27, 2014 5:05 p.m. ET

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Brett Smiley

Former Braves closer John Rocker, probably better known for xenophobic and racist comments he made to Sports Illustrated in 1999, will compete on the next season of "Survivor: San Juan del Sur — Blood vs. Water," according to a report by Entertainment Weekly.

Asked way back then if he could play in New York, Rocker went on to insult the city and its residents, saying among other things:

“The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”

Sure, the admitted steroid abuser made those remarks 15 years ago now, but based on some comments he made in a Reddit session last year, it sounds like Rocker may still espouse many of the same views. 

Also, Rocker recently offered about the Holocaust in a January 2013 column:

“Absolute certainties are a rare thing in this life, but one I think can be collectively agreed upon is the undeniable fact that the Holocaust would have never taken place had the Jewish citizenry of Hitler's Germany had the right to bear arms and defended themselves with those arms."

Asked whether other "Survivor" contestants would hold some of the things he's said against him, Rocker told EW: “I see these folks that I’m getting ready to play this game with as very similar to the 13 years of professional baseball that I played, and the teammates that I played with." Rocker continued, "Some of my biggest supporters after that SI debacle were my current and past teammates.”

No doubt Rocker is physically fit, but half of "Survivor" is about making alliances.

I can't think of a guy who is less equipped than Rocker to form mutually beneficial relationships with competitors of various ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations.

[H/T Entertainment Weekly]

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