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The Toronto Blue Jays have issued a formal apology in response to Islamophobic social media content shared by outfielder Anthony Santander, but the player himself has yet to offer an apology. The team released a new statement on Thursday following a meeting with leaders from Toronto's Muslim communities.
This updated response is notably stronger than the club's initial statement, which faced significant backlash from fans who believed it was insufficient.
Background of the Controversy
The incident occurred the day after the midterm elections, when Abdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim American elected to the U.S. Senate. Santander posted two videos to his Instagram story: one featuring El-Sayed's image with the claim that "America voted for Sharia last night," and another showing a Christian preacher asserting that "there is no such thing as kind Muslims." Santander deleted both videos two days later, but screenshots had already circulated widely on social media.
The Blue Jays' initial response did not satisfy many fans. The team stated that individual comments do not represent the organization's values and beliefs, but announced no discipline. Steven Zhou of the National Council of Canadian Muslims later said that "everybody wants to see an apology from him." The team's response also drew comparisons to 2023, when the Blue Jays designated Anthony Bass for assignment after he shared a post supporting anti-LGBTQ boycotts.
Management's Reaction
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins addressed the situation at MLB's general manager meetings on Tuesday. He said he told Santander that he should apologize. "There really aren't words to express my level of disappointment with him making those comments," Atkins said, via TSN. "Anything exacerbating some level of anti-Islamic hate is just extremely concerning, extremely disappointing," he added. "I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness."
Official Apology
On Thursday, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro released a statement after the team met with Muslim community leaders. "We met with leaders in Toronto's Muslim communities today, who shared the harm caused by Anthony Santander's Islamophobic social media posts. The opportunity to listen and learn was important and reaffirms our beliefs and values as an organization," the statement read. "We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate," it continued. "The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim community and our fans for the pain and harm these Islamophobic posts have caused."
According to OutKick, Zhou said the team committed to putting Santander through educational training. However, the statement did not mention any disciplinary action. Santander still has three years remaining on the five-year, $92.5 million contract he signed ahead of the 2025 season. He has yet to comment publicly on the posts.
Originally reported by yahoo.