Florida AG Issues Subpoena to MLB Over Bible Verse Controversy

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has moved to investigate Major League Baseball (MLB) after the league cautioned three players from the San Francisco Giants against writing Bible verses on their caps during a Pride Night event.

In a press release on Friday, Uthmeier’s office stated that the investigation will focus on possible religious discrimination, accusing MLB of “punishing Christian players for displaying Bible verses while routinely allowing and even promoting secular messages related to social justice and ideology.”

“Major League Baseball claims it does not tolerate discrimination based on religion, yet its actions tell a different story,” Uthmeier remarked. “If MLB applauds ideological messages it prefers while reprimanding expressions of Christian faith, that is not neutral rule enforcement—it’s religious discrimination that cannot stand in Florida.”

The Giants’ Pride celebration took place last Friday, featuring festivities and a fireworks show accompanied by music from LGBT+ artists like Queen. The team had provided pride-themed rainbow caps, which players Landen Roupp, J.T. Brubaker, and Ryan Walker adorned with Bible verses referencing Genesis 9:12-16, a passage about God’s promise symbolized by the rainbow.

“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” stated MLB Chief Communications Officer Pat Courtney following the players’ formal warnings.

However, Uthmeier’s office is questioning the legitimacy of this warning, especially when weighed against past custom modifications that were approved. In a letter to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred Jr., Uthmeier pointed out instances from 2020 when MLB seemed to relax its uniform rules to accommodate social justice messages, like allowing players to wear Black Lives Matter patches or add personal messages to their uniforms.

Florida’s subpoena is being issued under both the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, requiring documents by July 23:

• All uniform and equipment regulations, including those cited in the recent warning;
• A detailed history of uniform policy enforcement since 2020;
• Documentation on any exceptions for “Permitted Expression” and how these differ from religious expression;
• Policies regarding “Pride Night” apparel expectations, along with consequences for non-participation;
• Internal discussions related to the warning issued during “Pride Night,” including any received complaints.

Uthmeier referenced both the Florida Civil Rights Act and MLB’s own workplace policies against religious discrimination in his correspondence with Manfred.

“A pattern of selectively enforcing rules to favor certain secular beliefs over religious ones could potentially violate Florida civil rights law and might also breach the League’s policies,” he cautioned. “Claiming not to discriminate based on religion while actually doing so could constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice, violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.”

Additionally, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s Civil Rights Department, sent a letter to Manfred notifying him that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would also be looking into this matter.

“Federal law mandates that employers must reasonably adjust uniform requirements to accommodate employees’ religious practices,” Dhillon pointed out, citing an important EEOC case that emphasized this obligation.

“MLB insists that its warning to the Giants players “had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” but this raises serious questions about the league’s consistency, especially when players have been allowed to wear patches for social justice causes,” Dhillon added.