(WND)—The Washington Nationals baseball team now is under investigation by the Department of Justice for allegedly deliberately discriminating against a player based on religion.
The probe was triggered by a letter from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who raised the issue of the team’s actions against pitcher Trevor Williams.
According to the Washington Examiner, there is evidence the team targeted Williams and “deliberately excluded him from social media branding due to his Christian beliefs.”
The DOJ now is looking at “all” appropriate steps.
“The Department of Justice has received Rep. Boebert’s letter on Major League Baseball and the issues it raises,” the department said in a statement. “The Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate all appropriate next steps. As always, we remain committed to enforcing federal law and protecting civil rights.”
The published report explained the background, that media personality James O’Keefe’s group released an undercover conversation with Sean Hudson, the team’s “director of community relations.”
He appeared to confirm the behavior, citing Williams for complaining that a drag event mocked Catholics.
“One of our pitchers, Trevor Williams, he’s super Christian-Catholic. … We don’t use him on social [media],” he appeared to explain.
Hudson then was placed on leave.
Boebert said such discrimination “is not OK.”
The report said the team admitted the statement was made by an employee but still claimed there was no religious discrimination.
“The Washington Nationals are aware of comments made by an employee which were recorded without the employee’s knowledge and disseminated without his permission,” the organization said. “The statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions or actions of the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our players, fans, and staff, and we vehemently deny any allegations to the contrary,” the team said.
Boebert suggested if Hudson’s comment was accurate, the team could be in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
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