Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) demanded answers after San Francisco Giants players were reportedly given warnings over Pride Night hats.

The lawmaker penned a sternly worded letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred that expressed “grave concern over your reported decision to issue a formal warning” to three players “for publicly expressing their Christian faith.” This came after Giants players chose to write Bible verses on their rainbow Pride Night hats, which is something not allowed by the league’s uniform policy. Manfred also maintains that the warning came prior to learning that players were not clear on the fact that they could opt out of wearing the hats, choosing to wear their normal caps instead.

Hawley posted the response on X:

.@MLB Commissioner writes to me and admits they were wrong to threaten the Giants players over Bible verses and promises never to fine or discipline these players – or any players for their religious beliefs pic.twitter.com/rnPy2F7fyR

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 22, 2026

“As you reference in your letter, MLB has a policy negotiated with the Major League Baseball Players Association that states a ‘[p]layer may not write, attach, affix, embroider, or otherwise display nicknames or messages on apparel or playing equipment.’ This policy is enforced without regard to the substance of the messaging,” the letter reads. “The rationale for the police is the league does not desire for its players to become messengers for political or social issues while in uniform playing baseball games because man messages have the potential to offend some segments of our fanbase – even if that was not the intent of the player.”

The letter goes on to explain that while Pride Night was not one of the original “commemoration or celebration days that every MLB Club includes in their schedule,” the Giants and the Dodgers “requested their use of the pride emblem on uniforms/hats on Pride Night be grandfathered in.” This exception was made as a way for the teams to “show their appreciation and support” for the LGBT community, which has a large presence in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“Since 2023, the Dodgers and Giants have operated under this grandfathered exception. Unfortunately, this year, the Giants’ communication with players was inadequate and not clear. Some players apparently did not understand that they had the option to wear their normal uniform and elected to add messages to their hats bearing the pride logo as a result,” the letter explains. “The Giants players were allowed to wear the hats with the biblical references for the entire game. After the game had concluded, my office issued a routine oral warning about the uniform policy violation – unfortunately, it was issued before we became aware of the Giants’ lapse in communication. The players were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be.”