The anticipated showdown between Patrick Mahomes Sr. and John Rocker will not be happening as originally planned. Barstool Sports’ founder, Dave Portnoy, revealed that the fight has been officially canceled, with Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, playing a role in the decision.
The initial idea was for the two former MLB pitchers to face off in one of Barstool’s Rough N’ Rowdy fights on April 18. However, Dave Portnoy disclosed that the Mahomes’ agent, the football player himself, and Brittany intervened to ensure the fight did not take place.
During an appearance on “The Unnamed Show” podcast on February 21, Portnoy shared, “Mahomes’ agent, the football player, and Brittany — from what I am told — intervened and were like, ‘There’s no way this fight’s happening.’ We’re going to cut this guy off if he does it.'”
Mahomes Sr., 54, and Rocker, 50, made news in the hours after the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chiefs. The two were recorded having a heated argument on Bourbon Street, trading insults as a couple onlookers tried to separate them.
The elder Mahomes, who pitched 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, is currently on probation and told a court that the squabble was staged to boost publicity for the fight, according to TMZ. Had it been real, he would have been in violation of his probation.
The outlet also reported that Mahomes Sr. was due to make $85,000 in the fight, with the possibility of more based on pay-per-view numbers.
After their tiff on Bourbon Street, Rocker and Mahomes continued their feud via X.
“You really haven’t changed one bit in the last 25 years,” Mahomes Sr. posted on February 11. “Keep my name out your loud mouth.”
“You wouldn’t have had the balls to say that to my face the other night. Lanky ass clown,” Rocker replied in a quote, adding in separate post, “Mahomes is lucky he got away. I would have Rocked him.”
While their fight in New Orleans was staged, the hate between the two is apparently real.
“They came to us to do this,” Portnoy said of the showdown. “How would we ever come up with this concept. Like, Oh, let’s put John Rocker vs. Pat Mahomes Sr. Like, who would ever think of that?”
He added, “They came to us and said they hated each other and wanted to fight.”
The rivalry between Mahomes Sr. and Rocker goes back decades. Mahomes Sr. pitched for the New York Mets in 1999 and 2000 while Rocker was with the Atlanta Braves. The Mets and Braves were heated rivals at the time, with Rocker going on an infamous racist and homophobic rant in a 2000 interview with Sports Illustrated about the people of New York.
Neither pitcher has publicly addressed the fight’s cancellation.
