Blue Jays CEO apologizes for player’s ‘Islamophobic’ posts — but the Christian athlete isn’t caving

Toronto Blue Jays brass are up in arms about social media posts from one of their players, but the athlete doesn't seem too bothered at all.

The Blue Jays' general manager as well as the CEO have both issued apologies on the team's behalf, while the player seemingly refuses to do so.

'We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate.'

Blue Jays slugger Anthony Santander ruffled a lot of feathers following the U.S. midterms last week when the openly Christian player shared posts about Islam on his Instagram page.

First, Santander shared a post about newly elected Michigan Democrat Senator Abdulrahman El-Sayed, with an image of El-Sayed and text reading, "America voted for Sharia last night!"

A second post the Venezuelan player shared displayed the text "Islam is not peaceful."

These posts garnered a reaction from Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, who, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith on Tuesday, said that he was disappointed in Santander, labeling the posts "anti-Islamic hate."

"There really aren't words to express my level of disappointment with him making those comments. I've expressed that to him," Atkins said, according to Nicholson-Smith.

Atkins added, "Anything exacerbating some level of anti-Islamic hate is just extremely concerning, extremely disappointing. I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness."

It was widely reported that the team had asked Santander to issue a public apology, but aside from sharing posts about the controversy to his Instagram page, the 32-year-old has remained completely silent, prompting another statement from the team. This time it was from president and CEO Mark Shapiro.

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Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

The Blue Jays posted a lengthy statement from the executive online on Thursday, saying that the team "met with leaders in Toronto's Muslim communities," who "shared the harm caused by Anthony Santander's Islamophobic social media posts."

Shapiro said the meeting reaffirmed the team's beliefs.

"We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate," the statement read. "The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim community and our fans for the pain and harm these Islamophobic posts have caused. We will work with leaders in Muslim communities to fight all forms of hate."

Shapiro's statement finished with a commitment to ensuring the organization "reflects the inclusive community we are proud to call home."

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Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Santander signed with the Blue Jays after three strong years with the Baltimore Orioles, which culminated in an All-Star Game appearance and a Silver Slugger award in 2024.

Santander has been mostly injured in his two years with the Blue Jays, but still has a massive five-year, $92.5 million contract that will pay him an average of $18.5 million through 2030. For those reasons, it will be very difficult for the organization to convince any team to trade for the outfielder.

The Blue Jays will likely have to pay him at least $5 million per year until 2046 after deferring large portions of his contract.

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