Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins has responded to Anthony Santander’s anti-Muslim social media posts following Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s U.S. Senate victory in Michigan.
Santander sparked outrage when he posted several posts in his Instagram Stories attacking Muslims after Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate following his defeat of Mike Rogers in Michigan.
“America voted for Sharia last night!” Santander said.
“Muslims are not peaceful,” he said in another post.
On Thursday, the Blue Jays said that Santander’s statements do not reflect the views of the organization.
“Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark,” the team said. “Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”
General manager Ross Atkins called the posts “extremely disappointing.”
“Anything exacerbating some level of anti-Islamic hate is just extremely concerning, extremely disappointing,” Atkins added. “I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness.”
As noted by the California Post, Santander, an All-Star in 2024 with the Orioles, “signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with Toronto before the 2025 season.”
“He played just 50 games that year before missing the entirety of the 2026 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery and later dealing with a back issue during rehab,” it added.
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