Could the MLB be in trouble?
The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it has opened an investigation into the league for religious discrimination after a warning was issued to San Francisco Giants players over Bible verses written on their hats.
The controversy started last week when Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp took the mound with “Gen 9:12-16” written on his cap, which featured a rainbow logo for the Pride Night celebration during a game against the Chicago Cubs. Two other pitchers, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker, also had Bible verses on their hats during the game.
The verse cited by Roupp states:
“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.””
When asked about the statement he was making with the verse, Roupp cited the scripture and expressed his gratitude for the freedom of speech in our country to share his beliefs:
“It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that He makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy, and it’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want, and express what we want. …
The rainbow is a symbol of God’s covenant to us and us as believers stand firm in that. But I mean, it’s not anything … there’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for and I stand in. I believe in God, and that’s me.”
Well, the MLB apparently disagreed.
MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney released a statement confirming that the league issued a warning to the players on altering their uniforms:
“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations.”
But the league said it had nothing to do with the specific message:
“To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message. We respect players’ right to free expression. However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s uniform regulations which provides in part that, ‘(a) player may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment…’
We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad,’ ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom’ and names of family members.”
Apparently the Department of Justice isn’t buying the MLB’s explanation for the warning though.
Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday informing him that the DOJ has opened an investigation into the league for potential religious discrimination:
“The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the League’s vehicle for pro-Pride messages. Federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.”
In the letter, the DOJ points out that the MLB has previously allowed players to alter their uniforms with Black Lives Matter patches, yet issued a warning over the Bible verses:
“MLB has asserted that its warning to the Giants players “had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message” and that it merely is enforcing a policy that prohibits writing on uniforms.¹ Yet, MLB has allowed players to wear uniform patches reading “Black Lives Matter.”² This double standard—under which players may not inscribe Bible verses on hats for one game only but may wear “Black Lives Matter” patches for one game only—calls MLB’s true motives into question and raises serious concerns.”
The letter ends by informing Manfred that the matter has been referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation.
For their part, the Giants issued a statement after the game claiming that the Bible verses caused “pain and anger” in the community.
“The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that. Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all. We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”
But Giants manager Tony Vitello, who’s in his first year in the MLB after previously coaching at the University of Tennessee, didn’t seem too bothered by it:
“I mean, just kind of a general knowledge of the individuals have the freedom to do what they think is best. But I do think it’s been apparent from day one, actually, even some of the exhibition games, it’s pretty impressive how the Giants, as an organization, try and embrace the entire community.”
We’ll see if anything comes of the investigation, but I’m not holding my breath.
