Three San Francisco Giants players wrote Bible verses on Pride-themed caps. This sparked a federal investigation and a blame game. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred tried to point the finger at the Giants. He claimed the team failed to tell players that wearing the Pride caps was optional. But manager Tony Vitello has now responded. His words directly countered the reason Manfred came up with. Vitello insists that the team communicated the rules clearly.

“I just know that there was communication with those guys. They let everybody know here that they received communication,” Vitello told KNBR. “Most of my information is just from internal conversations as an organization.”

On June 12, three Giants’ players— Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker— wrote Bible verses on their pride-themed Giants’ cap. Meanwhile, Sam Hentges just wore his regular game-day cap. Their actions generated considerable backlash from the LGBTQIA+ community. The Giants even issued an apology to the fans for causing “pain and anger.” Even San Francisco’s mayor, Daniel Lurie, criticized the players’ actions. However, the fiasco only escalated from there.

According to MLB’s rules and regulations, players are prohibited from adding any personalized message or writing on the official uniform. However, some also came in support of the players, including JD Vance, and condemned the organization.

“Writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s Uniform Regulations, which provides in part that (a) Player may not write, attach, affix, embroider or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment…” MLB stated.

So, in accordance with the rule, MLB issued a warning to those players. But this normal warning quickly became a huge federal issue. Republican Senator Josh Hawley wrote a letter to complain. He said MLB has a history of treating Christian players unfairly.

This prompted Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, to start a Civil Rights Act violation investigation. The law prohibits employers from treating employees badly because of their religious beliefs. She launched a Department of Justice investigation to see if MLB violated the Civil Rights Act. The DOJ then sent the case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

If the EEOC finds MLB or the Giants guilty, they might face heavy fines.

This is not the first time baseball has dealt with this exact issue. In 2022, several Tampa Bay Rays players refused to wear Pride logos because of their religious beliefs. After that drama, MLB changed its rules. Now, players are never forced to wear Pride gear. Teams must tell players that they can easily opt out.

According to Manfred, the Giants failed to communicate it clearly. Yet Hentges appears to be aware of that rule, since he did just that on June 12.

According to Vitello, per KNBR, “There has been a lot of them (communication). I would hope, and I would expect the vibe out there is how important it is for them to be inclusive of everybody in the fan base, or that wants to be a part of the fan base. So those have been the kind of conversations I’ve been privy to.”

So, whether the Giants indeed lacked communication remains to be ascertained.

Rob Manfred deflects blame to the Giants

The MLB is facing a federal investigation after it warned Roupp, Brubaker, and Walker for writing on the pride-themed cap. It clashes with the Civil Rights Act, which bars employers from discriminating against employees based on their religion. The act also directs employers to allow reasonable changes to uniforms for religious beliefs.

After the DOJ referred the case to EEOC, Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote to Senator Hawley. In the letter, Manfred admitted that he was wrong to warn the Giants players. However, in the same letter, he also shifted the blame for the incident to the franchise. The Commissioner said that the routine warning was issued before he was aware of the Giants’ lack of proper communication.

“MLB agreed to allow them to utilize the hats/uniforms with the emblems, provided that no player or uniformed staff would be required to wear them. And that the team would speak to the players to make sure they were comfortable with the apparel… Unfortunately, this year the Giants’ communication with players was inadequate and not clear,” read Manfred’s letter.

“Some players apparently did not understand that they had the option to wear their normal uniform. They elected to add messages to their hats bearing the Pride logo as a result. The Giants players were allowed to wear the hats with the biblical references for the entire game. After the game had concluded, my office issued a routine oral warning about the uniform policy violation. Unfortunately, it was issued before we became aware of the Giants’ lapse in communication.”

The clubs needed to specify that players have the option to decline to be a part of the Pride night celebrations. The MLB also allowed them not to wear themed uniforms and continue with their regular attire. With Manfred shifting blame, the EEOC might investigate the Giants now. The findings from the investigation would ultimately decide who will be held responsible for the controversy.