Major League Baseball pushed back hard against accusations of religious discrimination in a letter to Senator Josh Hawley this week, claiming it simply enforced uniform rules without bias when three San Francisco Giants players wrote Bible verses on their caps during Pride Night.
The June 12 incident at Oracle Park saw pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker scrawl "Gen 9:12-16" on their rainbow-colored team caps instead of wearing the standard Pride Night gear. The Bible passage, associated with opposition to LGBTQ rights, triggered an oral warning from the league about uniform violations.
Commissioner Rob Manfred's response to the Missouri Republican made clear the league was not singling out religious expression. "MLB's policy must be uniformly enforced regardless of the message in order for it to survive legal challenge, which means prohibiting both the positive message and the negative message," he wrote. Manfred said the same rule applied to any messages on uniforms, whether honoring a deceased friend or celebrating a mother.
But Manfred also faulted the Giants for botching the rollout. Players had the option to skip the rainbow caps and wear standard uniforms instead, as reliever Sam Hentges did. The problem was nobody clearly told them that choice existed. "Unfortunately, this year the Giants communication with players was inadequate and not clear," Manfred wrote, adding that some players apparently did not know they could opt out.
Hawley seized on the letter as a victory, claiming Manfred "admitted" the league was wrong to threaten the players and promised no fines or discipline. But a careful reading of Manfred's letter contains no admission of wrongdoing and no use of the word "wrong." An MLB representative declined to clarify Hawley's interpretation.
The three players were neither fined nor disciplined, Manfred confirmed. They were allowed to wear the altered caps throughout the entire game, with the warning issued only after the final out.
The flap may have rippled through minor league baseball. Last week, fewer than nine players with the York Revolution agreed to wear uniforms featuring rainbow sleeves during a commemoration game. The team forfeited the contest rather than take the field.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The Giants handed this one to themselves with sloppy communication, but Hawley's claim of an MLB admission rings hollow when you read what the commissioner actually wrote."
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