Patrick Mahomes Sr. and John Rocker Trade Insults After Super Bowl

After the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, it was two former Major League Baseball pitchers who made headlines on Bourbon Street.

Patrick Mahomes Sr., father of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was caught on video in a shouting match with controversial former reliever John Rocker after the game. Mahomes, 54, and Rocker, 50, pitched for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, respectively, in 1999 and 2000 at the height of the two teams’ rivalry.

In a video shared via X, Mahomes Sr. was seen talking with two other men when Rocker entered the frame. It looked like Rocker was about to go in for a handshake when the two began trading insults. A heated argument then ensued with Rocker and Mahomes Sr. within inches of each other as the two other men tried to break them up.

“Is that f—ing Johnny Rocker?” one onlooker could be heard asking.

While it is unclear how the argument started and the audio isn’t clear, both former players took to X after to share their thoughts.

“You really haven’t changed one bit in the last 25 years,” Mahomes Sr. wrote on Tuesday, February 11. “Keep my name out your loud mouth.”

Rocker quoted that post, replying, “You wouldn’t have had the balls to say that to my face the other night. Lanky ass clown.”

“Mahomes is lucky he got away. I would have Rocked him,” Rocker added in a follow-up.

Mahomes Sr. had a follow-up of his own, saying, “John Rocker is a menace to society.”

Fans have speculated that the fight may have been staged. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said before the incident that the two would participate in one of his Rough ‘N’ Rowdy boxing events.

“I don’t know, that’s why I don’t want the paperwork to get ripped up. I think it is,” Portnoy said during an interview with journalist Adam Glyn, published on February 7. “I believe we have a signed agreement for Mahomes Sr. to fight John Rocker at Rough ‘N’ Rowdy.”

Though Rocker lasted only six years in the majors, he became known for his controversial, and often offensive, comments. In a now-infamous 1999 interview with Sports Illustrated, Rocker said he would never want to pitch for the Mets, citing the “foreigners” and “queers” in New York City. Rocker conducted that interview while driving and the reporter speaking to him alleged that during their conversation, Rocker also mocked Asian women and called a Curaçaoan teammate a “fat monkey.”