Whether he believes them or not is less important than whether he utters them. The gods of political correctness must be appeased. Rocker has apologized for remarks he made in a magazine interview about gays, minorities, foreigners and New York City. The baseball players' union filed a grievance to overturn the suspension that will be considered by an independent arbitrator. Perhaps major league baseball would do its players and fans a service by publishing a list of remarks it considers tolerable and which words will send the offending players to the sensitivity showers.
Players regularly question the visual acuity of umpires.
Our senses are regularly assaulted by offensive entertainment and political speech. Politicians lie to us. Journalists and show hosts editorialize against Republicans and conservatives. Rarely are there apologies for such affronts. Were the Rev. Al Sharpton held to the same standard as John Rocker, he would be a permanent sensitivity training camper.