CJ Nitkowski, a former MLB pitcher and current Atlanta Braves broadcaster, is facing renewed criticism following a remark made during the team's broadcast on Thursday. The incident occurred during the Braves' 10-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates and was aired on the BravesVision network.
During the broadcast, play-by-play announcer Brandon Gaudin noted that outfielder Jose Azocar had been designated for assignment following the return of a teammate from paternity leave. Eli White, an outfielder for the Braves, and his wife had recently welcomed their third child.
Nitkowski's comment came in response to Gaudin's mention of White's new child. "Congratulations to Eli on number three," Nitkowski said. "I was trying to talk him into more kids already when we were in San Diego. He and his wife, they're just such great people. I said, 'We need more great people in this world. The more Whites, the better off we're going to be.'"
The remark quickly drew backlash on social media, with many users interpreting it as a racially charged statement. On platforms like Reddit's r/baseball, fans expressed their displeasure. Some users noted that the player's last name was "White," suggesting Nitkowski's comment was intentionally made to align with the player's surname. Others pointed to Nitkowski's past controversies.
This is not the first time Nitkowski has been at the center of public scrutiny. In 2018, while working with the Texas Rangers, Nitkowski "liked" a tweet from the Proud Boys, a far-right organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. At the time, Nitkowski stated he believed the gesture in the tweet was related to a popular "circle game" among athletes and that he was unaware of the Proud Boys' "horrid belief system," assuming it was a "parody/comedy account."
Following the 2018 incident, Nitkowski deleted some tweets, locked his account, and removed Twitter from his phone. He told The Athletic at the time that he unfollowed the account once he realized it could affect the organization. He also stated that he would not have unfollowed if it hadn't impacted the Rangers, implying that was the sole reason for his action.
Neither Nitkowski nor the Atlanta Braves organization have issued a public statement regarding the recent on-air comment. This publication has reached out to the Braves for comment. The Daily Mail also noted that the incident has been widely discussed among baseball fans online, with many drawing parallels to his previous controversy.