MLB commissioner tells Sen. Hawley Giants players won’t be disciplined over Bible verses on Pride Night hats

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verse references on their Pride Night hats will not face fines or discipline over the incident, while defending the league’s uniform policy at the center of the controversy.

In a June 19 letter posted to X by Hawley on Monday, Manfred said MLB’s office issued "a routine oral warning" after Giants players added biblical references to caps with the team’s Pride logo. But he said the warning came before the league learned the Giants had not clearly told players they could wear regular caps instead.

"The players were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be," Manfred wrote.

However, at least one Giants player did opt out of the Pride Night cap. Reliever Sam Hentges wore the team’s standard cap instead of the Pride Night version during the game.

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Hawley characterized the response as an admission from MLB that the league had been "wrong to threaten the Giants players over Bible verses." The Missouri Republican sent Manfred a June 16 letter asking why MLB warned players for "publicly expressing their Christian faith" on their caps during San Francisco’s Pride Night.

The exchange came after Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department had referred the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, arguing that MLB’s handling of the warnings raised religious discrimination concerns.

The controversy began after Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verse references on rainbow-logo caps during the team’s June 12 Pride Night game. Roupp wrote "Gen 9:12-16," referring to a passage from Genesis that describes the rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant after the flood.

MLB initially said the writing violated league rules against players altering uniforms or equipment. In his letter to Hawley, Manfred said that rule was collectively bargained with the MLB Players Association and prohibits players from writing, attaching, affixing, embroidering or otherwise displaying messages on apparel or playing equipment.

"The policy is enforced without regard to the substance of the messaging," Manfred wrote.

Manfred said the purpose of the rule is to prevent players from becoming messengers for political or social issues while in uniform, because many messages can offend some portion of the fan base, even if that is not the player’s intent.

But Manfred also acknowledged that MLB has tried to avoid putting players in the position of being required to take part in commemorative events that may conflict with their religious beliefs or values.

"We understand that some players or other on-field personnel have not been comfortable wearing the pride emblem on their uniform based on their religious beliefs," Manfred wrote.

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The issue is not the first MLB controversy involving Pride-themed uniforms, as Rays players declined to wear Pride logos in 2022 and former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw wrote the same Genesis reference on a Pride-themed cap last season.

The commissioner said MLB adopted a policy in 2023 barring clubs from using special uniforms, hats or equipment for team celebration days except under narrow circumstances, such as patches honoring deceased members of the baseball community or commemorating baseball milestones.

However, Manfred said the Dodgers and Giants were allowed to keep using Pride emblems on uniforms and hats under a grandfathered exception because Los Angeles and San Francisco are home to large LGBTQ communities and both clubs wanted to show support for those fans.

MLB agreed to that exception on the condition that no player or uniformed staff member would be required to wear the gear and that each club would make sure players were comfortable with the apparel, according to Manfred.

Manfred said the Giants’ communication with players this year was "inadequate and not clear" and added that some players did not understand they had the option to wear their normal uniform and added messages to the Pride caps "as a result."

"In closing, MLB believes in the right of our players and fans to express their religious beliefs, and at the same time supports the communities in this country that are fans of our Clubs, including the LGBTQ community," Manfred wrote.

Manfred said MLB will maintain its ban on uniform alterations to avoid "censoring some messages but not others," while continuing to work with players and clubs on policies that respect the values and beliefs of players and fans.