The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a probe into Major League Baseball, suggesting that MLB may have violated civil rights policies for apparently issuing warnings to three San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their hats during Pride Night last week.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon wrote a letter Thursday to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, saying that the Civil Rights Act prohibits the league from punishing players expressing “religious objections to serving as the League’s vehicle for pro-Pride messages.”
Last week, the San Francisco Giants played their annual Pride Night game with a theme to celebrate Pride month and the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Players were given hats with special rainbow logos to wear during the game.
But three pitchers — Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker — sparked controversy when they wore the Pride Night caps inscribed in pen with “Genesis 9:12-16.” The Bible verse references the rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant with all of Earth’s living creatures, a verse that some LGBTQ+ activists say has been used to denounce the use of the rainbow as an LGBTQ+ symbol.
Reactions from officials and MLB’s response
“Defacing their ‘@SFGiants’ Pride caps with a Bible verse that’s been hijacked by anti-LGBTQ extremists — & doing it only on Pride Night — is straight up bigotry & designed to disrupt this community celebration,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, in a social media post Thursday.
The move ignited outrage from local leaders and LGBTQ+ activists, as well as comments from Republican representatives in the federal government and Vice President J.D. Vance.
MLB allegedly issued warnings to the three players, citing uniform policy. Now, the DOJ is seeking to investigate MLB.
“Federal Law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion,” Dhillon’s letter states. “The Department of Justice will use all available means to hold employers accountable for violating the religious rights of their employees.”
MLB and the San Francisco Giants did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
State investigations into possible violations
In addition to the DOJ probe, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Friday that his office issued an investigative subpoena into MLB over the controversy.
“If MLB applauds ideological messages it prefers while reprimanding expressions of Christian faith, that is not neutral rule enforcement — it is religious discrimination that cannot stand in Florida,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The subpoena commands MLB to provide documentation regarding its uniform policies, history of enforcing against markings on uniforms, instances of allowing markings or messages relating to “social justice” causes or religious views on uniforms, and policies for Pride Night apparel expectations of players.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is also considering launching an investigation into MLB.
She wrote a letter to Manfred asking him to confirm that MLB won’t discipline the three players. If she did not hear back from MLB by Thursday, she said she would launch an investigation, her letter said.
“If you fail to respond to this letter and provide the requested confirmation, I will open an investigation to determine whether MLB is violating the religious liberty rights of players and employees in Missouri.”
In response to the DOJ’s probe, Wiener said that MLB “was right to enforce its rule.”
The DOJ has referred the matter to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation.
