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The attorneys general of Missouri and Florida have reacted strongly to the controversy that arose when Major League Baseball warned three San Francisco Giants players about inscribing a Bible verse on their Pride Night caps, and that reaction includes MLB receiving a subpoena signaling the start of an official investigation.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier began his investigation Friday by serving MLB with a subpoena to investigate whether it is violating players’ civil rights based on their religious beliefs.
The general purpose and scope of Florida’s investigation “extends to potential civil rights violations and deceptive and unfair business practices in employment matters related to the business practices, policies and procedures of Major League Baseball,” according to the subpoena obtained by Pak Gazette Digital.
In a letter from Uthmeier to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, the attorney general warns that “a pattern or practice of selectively enforcing its rules to benefit favored secular beliefs over disfavored religious beliefs would not only potentially violate Florida civil rights law, 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 amount to an unfair or deceptive trade practice in violation of Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference in Orlando on July 15, 2025, where he said the US Swimming Masters should not allow transgender athletes to compete against female swimmers or face legal action. Also in attendance were defenders Cassidy Carlisle and Lainey Armistead. (Papa Rico/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service)
Uthmeier is particularly concerned by the fact that MLB said its warning had nothing to do with the players’ religious beliefs but was strictly due to a violation of the league’s uniform code.
It should be noted that MLB said in a follow-up statement to its initial warning to players that it was simply 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 doesn’t ring true and presented in his letter a handful of examples where MLB has been absolutely fine with players adding things to their uniform.
“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 evidently 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.
“Thus, the MLB appears to applaud and even change its rules for the ideological beliefs it prefers, but targets players who express religious views that the League does not like.”
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks at 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, requires MLB to act on July 23, 2026 at 9 a.m. At that time, MLB must deliver to the AG’s office documents that include:
- All documents related to how MLB characterized or classified the June 2026 cap wording, including, for example, whether MLB treated it as religious expression, political message, protest, or a violation unrelated to its content.
- All documents related to what prompted MLB’s review and warning regarding the drafting of the June 2026 cap, including any complaints, media inquiries, internal escalations or third-party communications received before the warning was issued, and the timing of each in relation to the warning.
- All documents related to the actual June 2026 warnings issued by MLB to any club.
- All documents, including drafts and internal deliberations, related to MLB’s decision to issue and publicly announce the June 2026 warnings, and any analysis of whether doing so complied 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 cap. (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 any player who has decided to refrain from “wearing Pride Month paraphernalia or including Bible verses on Pride Month hats” will not be disciplined 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 MLB investigation.
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The two attorneys general have authority over their individual states. But it affects 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 Kansas City Royals.
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