Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched an investigation into Major League Baseball (MLB) over the league issuing warnings to Christian players who displayed Bible verses on their caps during “Pride” night.
Uthmeier sent a letter, as well as an investigative subpoena, to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Friday, telling him the probe will unearth whether or not the league is engaging in religious discrimination by selectively enforcing its uniform rules.
“Major League Baseball claims it does not tolerate discrimination based on religion, yet its actions tell a different story,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “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.”
The MLB issued a warning to three San Francisco Giants pitchers after they displayed Bible verses on their hats during Pride Night earlier this month. Giants right-hander Landen Roupp displayed “Gen 9:12-16” on his “Pride Night” hat, which was followed by relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker also featuring Bible verses on their official Pride Night hats.
“Landen Roupp, one of the pitchers who received MLB’s warning, said the Bible verses on his hat were ‘about God’s covenant and … his faithfulness and his mercy.’ The verses describe God establishing the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with all humanity,” Uthmeier said in his letter.
“MLB claims that Roupp’s actions violated the League’s rules. But it appears that MLB has a history of selectively enforcing its rules; players who promote secular messages get a pass, while players who promote religious messages get a reprimand. If this pattern or practice of religious discrimination is true, then it could amount to a de facto League policy, which would violate Florida law. My office will not tolerate religious discrimination against any players in Florida.”
Uthmeier went on to note that MLB reportedly “defended its actions” by saying that the league has rules barring players from writing on uniforms or equipment, regardless of the message.
“MLB claims its actions are a ‘routine’ warning and had nothing to do with the content of the message. Yet anyone who watches baseball knows these warnings are anything but routine. And content surely matters. MLB regularly allows players to write on their equipment, even if on paper players are not allowed to do so,” he said. “In 2019, for example, a Cincinnati Reds player wrote on his cap in tribute to a nearby mass shooting. And in 2020, MLB evidently added new, sweeping exceptions to its uniform rules by allowing players to ‘support social justice and diversity and inclusion.’ These policy changes included permitting players to add Black Lives Matter patches to their sleeves.”
“MLB allowed Black Lives Matter to be etched into the pitcher’s mound. The changes also permitted players to use their cleats to display social justice messages and causes,” he continued. “As a final example, in 2021, several pitchers from the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers wrote ’51’ on their caps to honor a fellow player. Another player wrote on his bat knob, which has now been memorialized in a baseball card.”
Uthemier said the examples reveal that MLB “appears to applaud — even change its rules for — the ideological beliefs it prefers, but targets players who express religious views the League doesn’t like.”
“The MLB’s apparent history of selective nonenforcement suggests that it applied its uniform rule uniquely against Roupp and the other pitchers simply because they expressed a religious belief. A League-wide practice of this sort is both wrong and may violate Florida law,” he said.
Uthmeier issued the subpoena under the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
“Florida is home to two MLB teams, and half of MLB’s teams do their spring training in Florida. Any religious discrimination by MLB occurring in Florida against any of the players on those teams must cease,” Uthmeier said.
He commanded the MLB to produce extensive documents about its policies by July 23, 2026, including:
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All uniform and equipment rules, interpretive guidance, and the specific provisions cited for the June 2026 warnings;
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Complete 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;
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Documents concerning approvals or relaxations of rules for “Permitted Expression” (BLM patches, social justice messages, sponsor logos, etc.) and how MLB distinguishes these from religious expression;
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Policies on “Pride Night” or themed apparel expectations, any adverse actions against players for their declining to participate, and any consequences tied to religious expression;
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Internal deliberations on the June 2026 warnings, complaints received, and any compliance analysis with MLB’s anti-discrimination Code;
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Records for players and personnel at the Rays, Marlins, and fifteen Grapefruit League clubs across Florida.
The Florida attorney general’s investigation comes after the Department of Justice sent a letter to MLB saying it has referred the case involving the Christian players to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over concerns about religious discrimination.
“The three players expressed their opposition to MLB’s pro-Pride orthodoxy,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in the letter. “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. The Trump administration is committed to combatting religious discrimination,” she added.
The Giants previously released a statement saying: “The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community … We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations. We understand that the choices by individual players has caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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