Former Major League Baseball pitcher John Rocker has sparked controversy by launching a personal investigation into Somali-owned daycare centres in Ohio, following explosive allegations of widespread fraud involving millions in public funds.
From Baseball to Fraud Investigation
The 51-year-old ex-athlete, who played for teams including the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians, has partnered with Jack Windsor, founder of The Ohio Press Network. Together, they have been visiting facilities in Columbus, documenting their findings in a series of social media posts that began in early January 2026.
Their probe comes as federal prosecutors in Minnesota describe "staggering industrial-scale fraud" worth millions within social services programmes, a scandal that has now spread to Ohio. The state's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has previously addressed speculation about suspicious practices, given Ohio's notable Somali immigrant population.
Confrontations and Empty Centres
Rocker and Windsor documented their visit to the Maandeeq Child Care Learning Center, a publicly funded facility in a Columbus strip mall. "What we saw was jaw-dropping," Rocker stated. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he claimed the centre had no children present, just an "angry woman who was not willing to take questions."
Accompanying videos show tense encounters. In one clip, Rocker approaches a door, claiming he is "getting screamed at in some kind of Swahili," before shouting that he needs to pick up his son for a doctor's appointment. In a parking lot, Windsor is seen questioning a woman about public funding, to which she responds by accusing them of harassing "only the African people" and directing them to check the facility's licence online.
Broader Allegations and Backlash
Rocker's investigation extends beyond individual daycares. He posted an image of an 'Ask-A-Muslim.com' advert, suggesting it pointed to "one of the deeper issues of today." He controversially claimed, "Aside from the fraud, these people want to convert us all to Islam."
The pair also attempted to visit a building they believed housed an entity auditing Somali daycares, only to find it apparently abandoned with welded-shut doors. Rocker's methods and language have drawn significant criticism on social media, which he met with a fiery rebuttal. "Dear liberals that are calling me a 'pervert'... THERE ARE NO F***ING KIDS AT THE DAYCARES," he wrote, emphasising that after nine hours of visits, they had not seen a single child.
This personal crusade by the former sports star throws a public spotlight on serious allegations of systemic fraud, raising questions about the oversight of publicly funded childcare programmes and the methods of those seeking to expose it.
