DOJ launches investigation into MLB's handling of Giants' Pride Night hat protest [View all]

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into whether Major League Baseball discriminated against three San Francisco Giants players on religious grounds when it issued them warnings for inscribing Bible verses on their caps during the club’s Pride Night celebration.

In a letter sent to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote that the matter has been referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation.

“The three players expressed their opposition to MLB’s pro-Pride orthodoxy,” Dhillon wrote in the letter, which was posted on X. “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.”

The Athletic contacted the Department of Justice for further comment, but did not receive an immediate response. MLB declined to comment when reached by The Athletic, referring back to a previous statement it provided Tuesday.

“To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” the league statement read. “We respect players’ right to free expression. … We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad,’ ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom,’ and names of family members.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7377101/2026/06/19/giants-pride-night-protest-doj-investigation-mlb/