James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, has subpoenaed a second professional sports league in as many months.
On Friday, Uthmeier announced he is launching an investigation into Major League Baseball for what he alleges is religious discrimination from the league after three San Francisco Giants pitchers wrote bible verses on their Pride Night caps last week.
MLB issued a warning to the players stating that writing on caps is not allowed, regardless of what the message is.
“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” the statement said.
The league later expounded on that statement.
“We respect players’ right to free expression. However, 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.”
Uthmeier’s probe seeks to determine if “the league is engaging in religious discrimination by selectively enforcing its uniform rules.”
“Major League Baseball claims it does not tolerate discrimination based on religion, yet its actions tell a different story,” he said Friday in a statement. “If MLB applauds ideological messages it prefers while reprimanding expressions of Christian faith, that is not neutral rule enforcement — it is religious discrimination that cannot stand in Florida.”
The Tampa Bay Rays’ are offering their Pride promotion Saturday at Tropicana Field.
Uthmeier’s subpoena comes a day after the U.S. Justice Department announced it would be investigating MLB over the same matter, and only weeks after Uthmeier intensified his scrutiny of the NFL’s diversity and inclusion policies by issuing a subpoena.
