The Toronto Blue Jays apologized Thursday to the Muslim group and the workforce’s followers for the “ache and hurt” brought on by outfielder Anthony Santander’s social media posts.
Santander shared anti-Muslim posts on Nov. 4 within the aftermath of final week’s U.S. midterm elections. He deleted them the following morning.
“We met with leaders in Toronto’s Muslim communities at this time, who shared the hurt brought on by Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic social media posts,” workforce president and chief govt officer Mark Shapiro mentioned in an announcement. “The chance to pay attention and be taught was essential and reaffirms our beliefs and values as a corporation. We condemn Islamophobia and all types of hate.
“The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim group and our followers for the ache and hurt these Islamophobic posts have induced. We are going to work with leaders in Muslim communities to battle towards all types of hate. The Blue Jays will proceed to make sure our group displays the inclusive group we’re proud to name dwelling.”
Blue Jays normal supervisor Ross Atkins, talking Tuesday at Main League Baseball’s GM conferences in Las Vegas, mentioned he not too long ago spoke with Santander and requested him to publicly deal with the controversy.
Nonetheless, Santander has but to publicly remark or apologize. The 32-year-old Venezuelan and the sports activities administration company that represents him haven’t responded to a number of messages.
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“There actually aren’t phrases to specific my stage of disappointment,” Atkins advised reporters.
The shared movies included a Christian preacher saying, “There isn’t any such factor as sort Muslims,” with one other suggesting Sharia legislation can be imposed on the U.S. after Abdul El-Sayed was elected to the Senate in Michigan.
Santander didn’t play on the big-league stage final season on account of accidents. He signed a five-year, US$92.5-million cope with Toronto in January 2025.
The Blue Jays are the one MLB workforce in Canada, which has a inhabitants of over 1.78 million Muslims, per 2021 census information from Statistics Canada. About 10 per cent of Toronto’s 2.8 million residents establish as Muslim, the company mentioned.
Steven Zhou, the media and communications lead for the Nationwide Council of Canadian Muslims, mentioned a number of group advocates had been available for the assembly, which lasted about an hour.
“That is an preliminary assembly, and we thought-about it a constructive step in the suitable path,” he mentioned Thursday night time. “As a result of there’s a dedication to placing this participant by way of coaching, and in addition there was a public assertion apologizing for what occurred from the CEO and from the group itself, these are all very constructive indicators.
“The following step, in fact, we wish to see an apology from the participant himself and an expression from him about why that is incorrect, and an expression additionally about attempting to construct a constructive method ahead.”
In an interview earlier within the week, Zhou mentioned Santander’s posts had a major impression on the group.
“I feel some folks may be stunned at simply what number of Muslims are followers of baseball and the Blue Jays, and Toronto is an enormous sports activities metropolis,” Zhou mentioned. “The type of response I’ve gotten from our group members from totally different circles, from varied folks, has been unbelievable. Individuals are very, very upset.”
It stays unclear whether or not the Blue Jays will self-discipline Santander. There are additionally unanswered questions remaining about how potential social media coverage and morality clause contract violations may be dealt with.
Messages left with the workforce and membership proprietor Rogers Communications Inc. on these topics weren’t instantly returned.
Santander hit 44 homers for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 however hit simply .175 with six homers over 54 video games in an injury-plagued 2025 season with Toronto.
He’s anticipated to be wholesome for the 2027 season and turn out to be an on a regular basis participant once more.
Spring coaching is scheduled to start in February, however there’s a robust chance an MLB lockout will start subsequent month when the present collective bargaining settlement expires.
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