A Hidden Camera, a Catholic Pitcher, and a Baseball Team Now Under Scrutiny

The Washington Nationals made news for something other than their play on the baseball field this week.

Sean Hudson, the team’s director of community relations, was caught on a hidden camera by James O’Keefe making disparaging comments about pitcher Trevor Williams, who is Catholic.

O’Keefe posted footage Tuesday on X of Hudson alleging the team discriminated against Williams because of his “Christian-Catholic” faith. In 2023, Williams spoke out publicly against the mocking of Christian faith by the Los Angeles Dodgers, which celebrated drag queens known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Caught on Camera

“One of our pitchers, Trevor Williams. He’s super Christian-Catholic, all these tattoos that mean a lot,” Hudson says on the recording released by O’Keefe. “The Dodgers had a group … who were drag queens who sometimes dressed up as nuns. [Trevor Williams] went on social media like … ‘This is my religion. You all are mocking it.’”

Hudson then added, “Because of that, [the Washington Nationals] don’t use [Williams] on social media.”

On Wednesday, CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt demanded answers from the Washington Nationals. She also filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice over alleged religious discrimination.

Baseball and Religious Freedom

In her letter to the Nationals, Reinhardt questioned whether Hudson’s comments reflected the team’s stance on religious individuals. She asked whether the Nationals’ policy was “to punish, exclude, sideline, or diminish players because they are Catholic.”

Even if the team’s policies didn’t reflect that stance, Reinhardt questioned whether it was the personal beliefs of Nationals employees to discriminate against individuals based on their religion.

Her questions were also accompanied by a request for a written response to Hudson’s statements.

Reinhardt ended her letter to the Nationals with a list of demands, which included clarification of whether the statements reflected “any formal or informal policy,” whether Williams was being excluded because of his faith, whether there was religious discrimination against others, the disciplinary actions being taken, and future steps to rectify the situation.

Nationals Respond

According to a statement from the Nationals released Thursday to EWTN News, the team was “aware of comments made by an employee which were recorded without the employee’s knowledge and disseminated without his permission.”

The Nationals added, “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 statement concluded.

Civil Rights Complaint

In addition to the letter sent to the Nationals, Reinhardt also contacted the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlines unlawful employment practices, prohibiting employers from discriminating based on religion.

In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, Reinhardt wrote, “If a Major League Baseball organization in the nation’s capital believes that being a faithful Catholic makes a player unsuitable for public promotion, then every Catholic employee in America should be alarmed.”

CatholicVote asked the Civil Rights Division to investigate the Nationals and to refer the issue to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

CatholicVote has also responded with public support for Williams.