The US Department of Justice has referred Major League Baseball to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation after the league warned San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps. The controversy began after Giants starter Landen Roupp and relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses on their caps during San Francisco’s June 12 game against the Chicago Cubs.
Potential Religious Discrimination
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division accused the league of potentially burdening the religious rights of the Giants players. The department pointed to MLB’s 2020 decision to allow players to wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ patches on their jersey sleeves during Opening Day games, as well as related social justice messages on league-authorized apparel.
The DOJ letter states that the department has ‘referred this matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation.’ The letter also notes that ‘federal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.’ Roupp addressed his reasoning for writing the verse, saying that the verse is about representing ‘God’s covenant’ and that he believes in God.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
