Florida launches probe of Major League Baseball over Bible verses on Pride caps

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has jumped into the controversy regarding Major League Baseball warning three San Francisco Giants players for writing Bible verses on the Pride Night caps.

Uthmeier on Friday announced his office was launching an investigation to determine whether MLB was engaging in religious discrimination or unfair trade practices by “selective enforcing” of uniform rules.

The Florida probe comes a day after the U.S. Department of Justice said it would begin a civil rights inquiry through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, wrote to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred seeking an explanation.

In his own letter to Manfred, the Florida attorney general expressed concern over “erratic” enforcement of rules by “punishing Christian players for displaying Bible verses while routinely permitting and even encouraging secular, ‘social justice,’ and ideological messages.”

"Florida is home to two MLB teams, and half of MLB’s teams do their spring training in Florida," Uthmeier wrote. "Any religious discrimination by MLB occurring in Florida against any of the players on those teams must cease."

The investigations follow the Giants’ June 12 Pride Night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, when four pitchers protested the team-issued rainbow-themed hats for the game. Relievers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote “Genesis 9:12-16” on their caps, while pitcher Sam Hentges chose not to wear the cap at all.

The Bible verses reference God establishing a rainbow with Noah and all living creatures as a sign of his covenant after the Great Flood.

“It’s something that I believe in. I stand firm in that,” Roupp said. “Thankfully, we live in a country where we have freedom to believe what we want.”

The players said they did not feel pressured or discriminated against by the team. Giants manager Tony Vitello said players are free to express themselves, but also praised how the Giants embrace the communities celebrated on theme nights.

MLB later confirmed the players received a warning because writing on the caps violated the uniform policy and were cautioned against future violations. MLB said rules prohibit players from writing any messages on apparel or equipment and said similar warnings have previously been issued for phrases such as “Dad” and “Happy Mother’s Day.”

“To be clear, this routine verbal warning … had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” MLB said in a statement.

Uthmeier wrote that he was skeptical of MLB's response.

"A pattern or practice of selectively enforcing its rules to benefit favored secular beliefs over disfavored religious beliefs would not only potentially violate Florida civil rights law, but it would also violate the League’s own policies," Uthmeier wrote. "And a practice of claiming not to discriminate based on religion while discriminating based on religion could further amount to an unfair or deceptive trade practice in violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act."

Questions pitched at the federal level

On Thursday, Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division assistant attorney general, announced her agency was referring the incident to the EEOC. Dhillon said MLB may have failed to reasonably accommodate employees' religious expressions.

“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,” she wrote in a letter to Manfred. “Federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.”

Meantime, Hawley said he wanted to hear from Manfred “after five and six years of forcing his players to adopt the most controversial political messaging.”

“We know from another Major League Baseball team, the Washington Nationals, that they deliberately discriminated against a Catholic player … this is ridiculous,” he said.

Hawley was apparently referencing the recent firing of a Nationals’ executive who admitted on a hidden-camera conversation that the team intentionally limited social media content for pitcher Trevor Williams because of his outspoken Catholic faith.

The Rays, who held their annual Pride Night on Saturday, had a similar controversy in 2022, when five pitchers opted out of wearing Pride-theme colors and on their jerseys and caps.

Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson reportedly peeled off the uniform logo and wore the standard Tampa Bay cap. Adam said it was a “faith-based decision.”

There were no reports of warnings or discipline, with team officials, including manager Kevin Cash, framing it as a personal choice respected within club policy.

What’s in the Florida subpoena?

Uthmeier echoed the Justice Department, with references to MLB previously approving uniform “modifications,” statements on cleats, “Black Lives Matter” sleeve patches, and other personal markings.

“Major League Baseball claims it does not tolerate discrimination based on religion, yet its actions tell a different story,” Uthmeier wrote. “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’s subpoena commands MLB to produce the following documents by July 23:

• All uniform and equipment rules, interpretive guidance, and the specific provisions cited for the June 2026 warnings.
• Enforcement history since 2020 showing every instance of warnings or discipline for markings — versus “every instance where markings were permitted without action, including ‘social justice’ expressions and religious citations.”
• Approvals or relaxations of rules for “permitted expression” and how MLB distinguishes these from religious expression. Examples given were “BLM patches, social justice messages, sponsor logos, etc.”
• Policies on “Pride Night” or themed apparel expectations, any adverse actions against players for declining to participate, and any consequences tied to religious expression.;
• Internal deliberations on the June warnings, complaints received and any compliance analysis with MLB’s anti-discrimination Code.
• Records for players and personnel at the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and the 15 teams that use Florida for spring training.

Uthmeier’s MLB probe comes weeks after his office launched an investigation into the NFL’s Rooney Rule for interviewing minority coaching candidates, and more specifically, the league’s diversity and inclusion policies.