Shockey is dumb. That we know. Is he homophobic? Possibly. Does he hate homosexuals? I don't know, but I doubt it. You're probably closer to the truth. He couldn't come up with a better insult.

Oh... and the Giants suck!!! They're all a bunch of homos!!!!!! ;-) (Before anyone gets upset... that was an example of parody)

Go Eagles!!!!

Ooooohhhhh...I love all this talk about 'tight ends'. Count me in!

I think that Shockey is just too immature to think of a better insult than homo. He is only friggin' 22 years old and still has that High School/ Frat Boy mentality. He lives a life of privilege and can behave any way he wants without consequence because he is a celebrity. Sometimes I find great pleasure in what loaded cannons like him have to say (not the degrading insults, of course. I find that to be really shitty). In his next published interview, he invites any hot women to join him for one nighters. He also discloses his fantasy of having a threesome with a mom and her daughter...got to love it. It is evident that he can be an asshole, but how could you not want to hang out in a bar with this guy?!?!? I chalk his behavior up to being to immature and to sheltered to know better. Let's hope he stops his verbal attacks in the media, but still continues to talk about his personal life. It's like watching a car wreck...

Go Cowboys!

Shockey has the right to say whatever he pleases. It's called free speach.

And what Rocker did was cross the line when it came to nationalities....you don't insult someones heritage. What Shockey did was use a term like loser, jerk or moron. It was meant in the same fashion and should be taken as such.

And I almost forgot.....JETS ROCK!!

Uh- Shay....Shockey called someone a "homo" which is just as bad as Rocker refering to people as "queers". Shockey went beyond the moron, loser,etc. words. I think it is just as insulting and pathetic to attack someone for their sexuality (I would like to add that the Tuna IS NOT a homosexual, so the comment was lost on him) as it is to attack them for their race or religion. Didn't anyone elses parents teach them that if they didn't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all?????

BTW, saying that Rocker utilitzed freedom of speech, but Shockey just had poor judgement is such a prejudicial statement. The rights of this country give ALL Americans the freedom of speech--even bigots. The problem is when athletes and celebrities express such ignorance and hatred (and extremely poor judgement), when they have young impressionable kids looking up to them. We all have opinions of people, but that doesn't mean everyone wants to hear them or even care for that matter.

I think Shockey is a bigoted, spoiled, asshole. He's a grown man who should be ready to accept the consequences of his hate speech. If I saw him in public, I'd turn and walk the other way -- he's really not much of a human being, if his behavior in front of the media tells us anything.

That said, he's an excellent football player, and he plays for my team. So, truth be told, when he makes a big play for the Giants -- and he will make many of them this season -- I'm going to have a hard time not cheering for him. In fact, I know I will cheer.

I guess that's the big ass double standard right there, isnt' it?

The entertainment value of Shockey's comment is priceless. The fact that anyone really cares what comes out of any athletes mouth is pretty funny to me. Remember these guys are revered for dressing up in tights, sticking needles in their asses, and decapitating opponents....and we are expected to watch these morons behave normally in our well adjusted society. Who the fuck cares what he says? It's not like he's running for Governor of California, or Senator of Oklahoma....

"Fact is I don't expect a lot from the South"

Racism and bigotry in general has been a problem since the dawn of man, but it's always convenient to attatch a Southern accent to it, isn't it?

If one wants to point to slavery, certainly you have a vivid example that is certainly a pock mark on our nation's history. However, you'll find strands of intolerance irrespective of geography. New York included.

It's odd that the biggest obstacle to overcoming intolerance ignoring stereotypes, but an entire region of the U.S. often gets lumped together as booger-eating morons. Hypocritical, if you ask me.

My experiences and conversations with people in the South lead me to believe that a higher percentage of Southerners are bigots. The South trailed the North in tolerance four decades ago, and I don't think it has closed the gap completely.

Someone from the north is accussing the South of having more than its share of bigots... someone from the NYC area no less... why do I expect any better from the north?? I know there is no way I'm going to convince you that it just ain't so but I'm telling you as someone who has spent a significant amount of time in both parts of the country "it just ain't so". The bigotry in the South may be different but it's no more plentiful than it is in the north.

Otherwise, I love your site.

The last thing anyone can accuse PK of is bigotry. So back off.

Maybe all of you people from the south who are offended by what he wrote in the post, need to go back and read it again. Comprehension is everything. He in no way defends Rocker or Shockeys behavior. He clearly pointed out examples of how the behavior of a whole stadium of Southerners cheered a bigot for being a bigot. That cheering spoke volumes since it took place in the South by Southerners.

I travel alot to the South, and one comment that I always here is "You're awfully nice for a Yankee" or "Are you sure you're from NJ/NY because you aren't like them". That goes up my ass in the worst way. I guess the stereotype of us Northerners being rude and obnoxious still exisits.

One major thing I would like to point out, is that stereotypes exisit because people still live up to them. So before you open your mouth to speak choose your words.

So what you're saying is that every person at Turner Field that night was a Southerner. You do realize that the John Rocker Fan Site is based in Iowa, don't you. I'm sick and tired of people deciding that since the South had segregation in the day (and trust me, I think it is a horrible disgrace to the South, and especially my home state of Alabama), that we are all bigoted, narrow-minded rednecks. What I'm getting from Paul is that while Shockey was wrong in what he said, he will root for him because he happens to be a great player on his favorite football team. That is part of the reason that the fans cheered Rocker that night. You forget that Rocker had a stellar 1999 season before falling apart after the SI article.

What I am saying is what I have said, that I don't expect much from the South, as a whole, when it comes to setting good examples of tolerance. Not compared to the North. And I'm not saying everone is perfect up here. But it trailed -- say it with me, as a whole -- 40 years ago big time (bombings, mob beatings, your friendly neighborhood KKK chapter) and the field isn't quite level yet.

If you want to take that as me saying that everyone in the South is a bigot, so be it. It's not the way I feel. It is not what I have written. Can't really say more than that.

I do think what Rocker said about gays and foreigners was indefensible. It was an attack. Shockey's "homo" remark was stupid, but more offhanded and not even accurate to what he was trying to say, perhaps that Parcells is an egomaniac.

So I conclude that the people that did give Rocker a standing ovation at Turner Field could have shown a little more class. I thought it was pitiful. And I wasn't surprised.

Segregation is, was, and always will be the biggest disgrace to Alabama and the South. People like George Wallace were part of the reason that the image they have of Alabama is of the fire hoses and police dogs used to attack Civil Rights protestors and of the stand at the schoolhouse door. Ditto with the Little Rock situation in 1957. There very well may have been some bigots at Turner Field and believed what Rocker believed. However, you can't judge an entire section of the country by a few. The KKK membership in the South (and especially Alabama) has dropped to almost non-existent status. The people who are prosecuting the men who bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham are all Southern men, and most of the people behind this are in jail (or at least dead). I also happen to agree with the Shockey statement. I don't think he meant anything by calling Parcells a homo. However, it isn't right that you can root for Shockey after what he said, and villify Rocker for saying something else. Would you do the same if Shockey played for the EAgles?

I don't equate what Shockey and Rocker said with equal venom. I've been over this. Also, I do not equate with my clearly ambiguous tolerance for stpuid-ass Shockey with an active welcoming home with a standing ovation for hate-filled fucktard like Rocker.

If you are telling me that blacks can expect no worse treatment in the South than the North in 2003, then I am telling you that my experiences and conversations tell me otherwise.

I do think that Rocker was retarded, and I'm glad that the Braves got rid of his ass. However, to say that blacks will get treated better in the North than in the South is flawed at best. This ain't 1960, Paul. I do agree that blacks probably have it worse in the South, mainly because that many people in power are in the "Good ol' boys" network. However, I have been to the North, and I've heard the "n" word many times. I also think that Southerners are getting better about black people, and are accepting them more. The most common type of music at my school in Alabama is hip-hop, not the country I'm sure you think. Many of my best friends are black. Please, don't blame everybody in the South for what our ancestors did.

Fact is that you american's on a whole....northern and southern are far too sensitive. I love the United States but damn if you guys don't get your back up about everything

It's amazing the lengths people (read that sports fans) are willing to go to to give a player a pass because he's better than average at his position. If Shockey was just another Giant, New Yorkers would be screamin' for his head. And a pass because he's young? Can you imagine if Tiger was to mix in a comment like that during an interview?
I agree that Shockey's comment was made out of ignorance and not hate, but that doesn't excuse him or his stupid comment. He's making enough to hire a handler. I only hope Bill gets wind of the comment.
On the south, I'm afraid the stereotypical southerner is alive and well. I've lived down here for most of my adult life, and contrary to popular belief, most southerners still have confederate money and believe the south will rise again.

What part of the South do you live in, Neal? In Northwest Alabama, we have no Confederate money. We actually have indoor plumbing, computers, electricity, and believe it or not, running water. The most common form of music is not country, but rap. John Rocker is considered white trash by the people around here, not a folk hero like some people believe. Jeremy Shockey is respected as a football player, but his comments are not accepted here. Why is it that Shockey can get a break for what he said, but Rocker is hated by everybody. It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the fact that Shockey plays for a team that has New York in its name, and Rocker doesn't, would it? Sorry, just wanted to rant on what I perceive as anti-South bias on the site.

Segregation is, was, and always will be the biggest disgrace to Alabama and the South.

Actually, slavery holds that first place spot. Segregation, lynchings, Jim Crowe, etc., all come in at a close second, though.

As for Shockey, he's getting *a lot* less grief for calling Parcells a "homo" than Rocker did for his hate-filled diatribe. Rocker pretty much attacked anyone who wasn't white and a native English speaker. He hit all minorities and immigrants, proving himself to be an ignorant bigot [wait, that's redundant] toward anyone who's not just like him ['cause, you know, we all *really* want to be just like him].

Shockey has made a couple of comments to the media that show he's a homophobe. I don't think he's very different from most male athletes in that regard. Doesn't make it a good thing, but just a common thing in sports, which is why he's not getting as much grief, I think. Do you watch the NFL? Then you're probably watching a whole bunch of homophobes holding hands, hugging, wearing tight pants, and giving each other ass slaps. Ironic, isn't it?

In time, if Shockey keeps talking, we'll learn whether he's an equal opportunity bigot like Rocker or a just homophobe with a small vocabulary.

I apologize for my thought of segregation being the biggest disgrace to the South. Slavery will always be something that the South regrets. I also think that John Rocker's quotes about the "queers on the 7 train" and foreigners, Jews, and the city of New York were quite possibly the worst piece of crap I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Shockey probably didn't mean anything by what he said, but the fact is, he denied that he even said "homo" before he found out that the reporter he said it to had it taped. At least Rocker never denied saying what he said (although he later threatened to beat the hell out of the reporter who published the SI story). However, Shockey plays for a New York (actually New Jersey) based team, and is given more slack than somebody who plays for a team based in Atlanta, a Southern city. It also probably didn't help Rocker that he had pretty much villified himself to New York before the story came out. Just ask yourself this, though. If Shockey played for the Falcons, would his "homo" line be swept under the rug? I didn't think so.

so basicly your saying that its allright for a New York Giant to call someone a homo but its not allright for an Alanta Brave to say the same thing

The Homo comment was funny. It is just simply funny to make fun of homosexuals. They practice a form of perversion that has been rammed down America's throats for so long that people like the ones on this site have begun to accept it. I live in Texas, born and raised, so the anti-Southern bias stings. I will also be the first to admit that Southerners are much slower to accept these new "lifestyles" than others. I come from a normal, middle class neighboorhood outside Dallas and I know that all of me and my friends would be considered "homophobes" even though neither I or any of my friends have ever been frightened of a sodomite. The fact that the gay rights groups and liberal media have spun anyone who thinks homosexuality is wrong and perverse into bigots or "homophobes" is disgusting and genious at the same time. Americans are just too ready to accept anything nowadays. I have no problem with making fun of gays, and neither do any of my young college educated friends. They may have gotten to you, but most of us are holding strong down here in Texas. P.s. the South WILL rise again.

That last comment is about the dumbest thing I have ever read. Congratulations to Matt for achieving that feat.

Thanks, but I do not think my opinion is any dumber than anyone else's opinion on this board. Also, are you anti-beastiality, are you anti- pedophilia, because these are lifestyle choices also.