DOJ referral, players revolt: 3 developments linked to baseball's pride controversy
1. DOJ refers MLB crackdown to EEOC
After the league warned Giants players for writing Bible verses on their pride-themed caps, the U.S. Department of Justice referred MLB to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for further investigation.
According to a letter shared June 18 by Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division says it wants EEOC to look into whether MLB infringed on the religious rights of its players.
In her letter, Dhillon cited a 2020 decision by MLB to approve “Black Lives Matter” messaging on players’ uniforms for Opening Day, only to crack down on the Giants for promoting biblical content.
"This double standard — under which players may not inscribe Bible verses on hats for one game only but may wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ patches for one game only — calls MLB’s true motives into question," Dhillon wrote.
