Josh Hawley says MLB admitted it was wrong after Giants Bible verse controversy

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., received a letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps, saying they will not face any discipline for what is now being called a controversial season.

Hawley, who appeared on “The Will Cain Show,” was pleased with the response from Manfred and MLB.

“Looks like they’re admitting they’re wrong, Will, that is,” Hawley told Cain. “I mean the commissioner admitted in that letter that he shouldn’t have warned the ‘players.’ That they have the right not to wear uniforms, that they have the right to express their religious beliefs. And he said, as you just quoted, ‘No player will ever be punished or fined because of his religious beliefs.’

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“I don’t care who you blame for it as long as he admits he’s wrong, as long as the players’ religious freedom rights are protected.”

Hawley added that he believes this was a “good result” even though he had to contact MLB about it.

MLB COMMISSIONER TELLS SEN. HAWLEY GIANTS PLAYERS WON’T BE HEARD OF BIBLE VERSE ON PRIDE NIGHT DRESSES.

“I want to emphasize that the baseball commissioner answers to me,” he explained. “He said that no player in any club will be required to wear this type of uniform to send political messages. In addition, no one will be discriminated against based on their religion.

“Now, that should be common sense, Will. The fact that we had to go through all of this – I had to threaten to bring him before the Senate, put him under oath. He’s being investigated, this league is for other things. That’s all ridiculous. It was stupid on the part of Major League Baseball to do any of this, but they admitted they were wrong.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wrote “Genesis 9:12-16” on his Pride-Night-themed hat. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

“It’s right that Major League Baseball admits to being too cruel here, and it’s right that the First Amendment is protected in Major League Baseball. I hope we move forward.”

One Giants player opted out of wearing a Pride Night hat on June 12 at Oracle Park. Reliever Sam Hentges wore the team’s standard black and orange hat during the game instead.

But it was pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker who all wrote Bible verses while wearing the rainbow logo on Giants caps during the team’s game that sparked controversy. Roupp wrote “Gen 9:12-16” on his cap, referring to the passage from Genesis that describes the rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant after the flood.

MLB initially said the document violated the league’s rules against players altering their uniforms or equipment. And in a letter to Hawley, Manfred noted that the rule was negotiated jointly with the MLBPA, and prohibits players from writing, affixing, pasting, embroidering or displaying messages on clothing or equipment.

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello lifts starting pitcher Landen Roupp during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on June 12, 2026. (Photos by John Hefti/Imagn)

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“This principle is used regardless of the context of the messages,” Manfred wrote in his letter. The intent of the law is to prevent players from displaying any political or social messages, but freedom of religion falls under the first amendment, which Hawley, and others, have argued all along.

“Let’s get back to God and country and play baseball, and stop all this garbage that’s being raised,” concluded Hawley.

Dan Zaksheske of OutKick contributed to this report.

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