The Department of Justice asked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday to investigate MLB over its alleged discrimination against three Christian baseball players who inscribed Bible verses on their Pride Night hats during a game last week.
In a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said she referred the matter to the EEOC for “further investigation.” In a social media post accompanying the letter, she indicated the EEOC planned to investigate MLB.
“Swing and a miss!” Dhillon posted on X. “Major League Baseball encouraged players to wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ on their uniforms but reportedly threatened Christians who write Bible verses on their hats. [EEOC] will investigate whether this amounts to religious discrimination.”
EEOC Chairwoman Andrea Lucas said she could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation into the professional baseball league but said she remained open to holding the private employer accountable for alleged religious discrimination.
“Due to confidentiality requirements under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that bind [EEOC], EEOC cannot confirm or deny any potential action, or the existence of any charge or investigation, absent a court filing or an agreed-upon public resolution,” Lucas wrote on social media. “Rest assured, however, that EEOC is committed to protecting the religious liberty of all workers.”
Title VII requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices and prohibits religious discrimination in hiring, firing, or other terms of employment.
The federal inquiry concerns MLB’s response to three San Francisco Giants pitchers who etched “Gen 9:12-16” on their caps in white letters last Friday, referring to Genesis 9:12-16. None of the players were sanctioned, but they were warned about future violations. The sports organization cited its content-neutral policy in justifying its warnings to the three players.
Dhillon accused MLB of a “double standard” in which players may not write Bible verses on their hats but others are allowed to don social justice messages. She pointed to the Black Lives Matter patches that baseball players wore on the field in 2020.
HAWLEY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM MLB OVER WARNING PLAYERS WHO WROTE BIBLE VERSES ON PRIDE HATS
The DOJ is prepared to crack down on the MLB controversy as needed. Dhillon previously told MLB to “lawyer up” when several Republicans condemned the league for its handling of the Pride Night incident.
“The Trump Administration is committed to combatting religious discrimination,” the civil rights official wrote in the letter. “The Department of Justice will use all available means to hold employers accountable for violating the religious rights of their employees.”