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San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp was one of three players who wrote a Bible verse inside his hat during the team\u2019s annual \u201cPride Night\u201d game.<\/p>\n
Thearon W. Henderson<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Department of Justice has launched a civil rights probe into Major League Baseball, after the league issued a warning against three San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their hats<\/a> worn during the team\u2019s annual \u201cPride Night\u201d game.<\/p>\n The San Francisco Giants hosted the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park for the team\u2019s annual Pride Night game last Friday. While players donned Pride-themed hats, three Giants pitchers inscribed Bible verses on their Pride-themed hats, and a fourth declined to wear a hat altogether.<\/p>\n On Thursday, assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon took to X to share a letter she wrote to league Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, explaining that she had referred the organization to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, for upholding a \u201cdouble standard\u201d and potential religious discrimination<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMajor League Baseball encouraged players to wear \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d on their uniforms but reportedly threatened Christians who write Bible verses on their hats,\u201d Dhillon wrote on X. In her letter, she added that the Civil Rights Act \u201cprohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the League\u2019s vehicle for pro-Pride messages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFederal law is clear: employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees\u2019 exercise of religion,\u201d Dhillon wrote.<\/p>\n Swing and a miss! Major League Baseball encouraged players to wear \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d on their uniforms but reportedly threatened Christians who write Bible verses on their hats. @USEEOC<\/a> will investigate whether this amounts to religious discrimination. pic.twitter.com\/pSNxhOfr7E<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) June 18, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n In a social media statement published Thursday<\/a>, EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas refused to confirm or deny the existence of a charge or investigation without a court-filing or public resolution, citing confidentiality requirements under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. However, she assured that the \u201cEEOC is committed to protecting the religious liberty of all workers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pride Night maelstrom<\/a> arrived just weeks after West Sacramento launched its bid for an MLB expansion team<\/a> on May 28. The city is clamoring to clinch one of two league expansion spots by Manfred\u2019s retirement in 2029, taking the number of teams from 30 to 32.<\/p>\n Sacramento is currently home to the River Cats and the Athletics. The A\u2019s hosted their annual Pride Night game on Wednesday at Sutter Health Park, named the \u201cGlenn Burke Pride Night\u201d in honor of the first openly gay former MLB player who played for the A\u2019s from 1978 to 1979 and who publicly came out in 1982 after retirement.<\/p>\n 29 of the 30 MLB teams host an annual Pride Night game.<\/p>\n Francesca Slater, the chief operating officer of Sacramento\u2019s LGBT Community Center threw out the first ceremonial pitch<\/a> during Wednesday\u2019s game. Last year, Burke\u2019s nephew, Andrew Hunt, made the throw.<\/p>\n This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 11:36 AM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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