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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 sent to X by Hawley on Monday, Manfred said MLB’s office issued “a routine verbal warning” after Giants players added biblical references to caps with the team’s Pride logo. But he said the warning came before the league found the Giants had not clearly told players they could wear regular caps instead.
“The players were neither fined nor disciplined and never will be,” Manfred wrote.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote “Genesis 9:12-16” on his Pride-Night themed hat. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
But at least one Giants player opted out of the Pride Night cape. 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 by MLB that the league had been “wrong to threaten the Giants players over Bible verses.” The Missouri Republican sent Manfred a letter on June 16 asking why MLB warned players to “publicly express 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 case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, arguing that MLB’s handling of the warnings raised concerns about religious discrimination.
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 “Genesis 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 the league’s rules against players altering uniforms or equipment. In his letter to Hawley, Manfred said the rule was collectively negotiated with the MLB Players Association and prohibits players from writing, attaching, affixing, embroidering or otherwise displaying messages on clothing or playing equipment.
“The policy is enforced without regard to the content of the message,” Manfred wrote.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says Giants players who wrote Bible verses on Pride Night hats will not face fines or discipline over the controversy. (Mary Holt/WBCI/MLB Photos)
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 may offend some of the fan base, even if that is not the player’s intention.
But Manfred also acknowledged that MLB has tried to avoid putting players in the position of having to participate in commemorative events that might conflict with their religious beliefs or values.
“We understand that some players or other personnel on the field have not been comfortable wearing the pride emblem on their uniform based on their religious beliefs,” Manfred wrote.
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The issue isn’t 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 that prevented clubs from using special uniforms, hats or equipment on team celebration days except in narrow circumstances, such as patches honoring deceased members of the baseball community or celebrating baseball milestones.
However, Manfred said the Dodgers and Giants were allowed to continue using Pride emblems on uniforms and hats under a grandfather exemption because Los Angeles and San Francisco are home to large LGBTQ communities and both clubs wanted to show support for those fans.
A special logo for Pride Night will be displayed at Oracle Park in San Francisco on June 12, 2026. (Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)
MLB agreed to this exemption on the condition that no player or uniformed employee would be required to wear the equipment and that each club would make sure the players were comfortable with the clothing, according to Manfred.
Manfred said the Giants’ communication with players this year was “inadequate and unclear,” adding that some players didn’t understand they had the option to wear their regular uniform and added messages to the Pride capes “as a result.”
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“In conclusion, MLB believes in the right of our players and fans to express their religious beliefs, while supporting the communities in this country who are fans of our clubs, including the LGBTQ community,” Manfred wrote.
Manfred said MLB will maintain its ban on uniform changes to avoid “censoring some messages but not others” while continuing to work with players and clubs on policies that respect players’ and fans’ values and beliefs.
