Scottsdale, Ariz. -- Jeff Kent's phone rang and rang on the second Wednesday in January after news broke that writers elected nobody to the Hall of Fame, a repudiation of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others on the ballot for their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Kent has been one of the loudest critics of drugs in baseball and their users, whom he calls "cheaters," and knew reporters were going to ask about Bonds receiving fewer than half the votes needed for election. Kent, a longtime Bonds teammate and foil in San Francisco, let the calls go to voice mail because he did not want to get dragged into the debate.

When Kent arrived at the Giants' camp Sunday to begin a two-week stint as a special instructor, The Chronicle asked him directly if Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame. His answer was not direct but was telling nonetheless, suggesting he is not heartbroken that Bonds was snubbed.

"A pretty big statement was made when the vote came out, wasn't it?" Kent said in his first public reaction to the election. "I don't know. As it will be with me, it's not up to me."

Kent will appear on the ballot for the first time in December. He has a shot, not only because his stats make him one of the most productive second basemen of all time, but also for his reputation as a "clean" player who did not chemically enhance his game.

Kent, a youthful-looking 44, suggested he will not be on pins and needles waiting for the election results in January.

"The Hall of Fame is important. Is it important to me? It's hard to say," he said. "I have so much respect for the game and I think I've played it well. To be considered or argued over who is going to get voted in or not, it's great to have that debate.

"I say this lightly, but being elected into the Hall of Fame won't define me. It won't justify me. It won't change my life. I say that with all due respect. So, does it matter? I don't know. I guess it does in a sense. It recognizes one of the best players ever to play the game. That's a true honor. To have people debate over my career, that's a blessing in itself, too."

Kent has no plans to return to baseball as a full-time coach, saying the seven weeks he spent taping "Survivor: Philippines" reinforced how hard it would be to leave his wife and children for long stretches.

Kent played in the majors for 17 years, but many folks did not know him from the Duke of Kent, even around his Texas home, until he appeared on the long-running reality program.

"I'm Jeff Kent, the 'Survivor' guy now," he said. "For the time that show was on, walking around the streets of Austin, meeting people, I was the 'Survivor' guy, not the baseball guy. These were people who didn't know anything about baseball. I went through that for a time. Now that the new show is on, they'll forget about me real quick."

He did not win the contest and its $1 million prize, but he might not be done. Contestants often return for subsequent "Survivor" games. The show's host, Jeff Probst, asked Kent if he would be interested.

Said Kent: "I told him to call me."

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman