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The attorneys general of Missouri and Florida reacted strongly to the controversy sparked when Major League Baseball warned three San Francisco Giants players not to put a Bible verse on their Pride Night caps, and that reaction included serving MLB with a subpoena signaling the launch of a formal investigation.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier launched his investigation Friday by serving MLB with a subpoena to determine whether it violates the civil rights of players based on their religious beliefs.
The general focus and scope of Florida’s investigation “extends to possible civil rights violations and deceptive and unfair employment trade practices relating to Major League Baseball’s business practices, policies and procedures,” according to the subpoena obtained by PK Press Club Digital.
In a letter from Uthmeier to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, the AG warns that “a trend or practice of selectively enforcing its rules to favor favored secular beliefs over disfavored religious beliefs would not only potentially violate the Florida Civil Rights Act, but would also violate the League’s own policies.”
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“And a practice of claiming not to discriminate on the basis of religion while discriminating on the basis of religion could further constitute an unfair or deceptive trade practice in violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference in Orlando on July 15, 2025, where he said U.S. Masters Swimming should not allow transgender athletes to compete against female swimmers or face legal action. Lawyers Cassidy Carlisle and Lainey Armistead were also present. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service)
Uthmeier is particularly troubled that MLB said its warning had nothing to do with players’ religious beliefs, but rather strictly because of a violation of the league’s uniform code.
It’s worth noting that MLB said in a follow-up statement to its initial warning to players that it was only enforcing its uniform codes and that the warning had nothing to do with Giants pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker writing a Bible verse on the team’s Pride Night Cap that most other players wore.
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Uthmeier noted that this doesn’t ring true and outlined a handful of examples in his letter in which MLB has been quite successful in getting players to add to their uniforms.
“In 2019, for example, a Cincinnati Reds player wrote on his cap in tribute to a nearby mass shooting,” Uthmeier wrote to Manfred. “And in 2020, MLB obviously added sweeping new exceptions to its uniform rules by allowing players to “support social justice, diversity and inclusion.” These policy changes included allowing players to add Black Lives Matter patches to their sleeves.
“So MLB appears to applaud – or even change its rules – for the ideological beliefs it prefers, but targets players who express religious views the League does not like.”
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks during the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas on July 14, 2024. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Florida subpoena, issued under the Florida Civil Rights Act, demands action by MLB on July 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. At that time, MLB must provide the Attorney General’s Office with documents including:
- All records regarding how MLB characterized or classified the June 2026 cap writing, including, for example, whether MLB treated it as a religious expression, political message, protest, or violation unrelated to its content.
- All documentation regarding what prompted MLB’s review and warning regarding the June 2026 cap draft, including any complaints, media investigations, internal escalations, or third-party communications received prior to the warning being issued, and the timing of each report in relation to the warning.
- All documents regarding actual June 2026 warnings issued by MLB to any club.
- All documents, including drafts and internal deliberations, regarding MLB’s decision to issue and publicly announce the June 2026 Warnings, and any analysis of whether this was consistent with the Code or MLB’s treatment of comparable non-religious expression.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote “Genesis 9:12-16” on his Pride-Night-themed hat. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Uthmeier joins Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who recently wrote a letter to Manfred asking the commissioner to confirm that no player who chooses to refrain from “wearing Pride Month paraphernalia or including Bible verses on Pride Month hats” will be sanctioned in any way.
Hanaway’s letter states that if Manfred does not respond by June 25 or confirm that no disciplinary action will be imposed, she will also open an investigation into MLB.
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Both attorneys general have authority over their respective states. But this concerns four MLB teams.
Florida is home to two MLB teams – the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins – while Missouri is home to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals.
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