Blue Jays condemn player's anti-Muslim posts aimed at Abdul El-Sayed
· Yahoo Sports
Multiple members of the Toronto Blue Jays front office are speaking out against one of their players for his anti-Muslim posts on Instagram, including at least one that seemed targeted toward Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
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Anthony Santander, an outfielder for the Blue Jays, shared multiple Instagram posts earlier this month, following last week's midterm elections, in which El-Sayed became the first Muslim to be elected a United States senator.
Santander has since deleted the posts in question, which quickly drew backlash.
The Blue Jays swiftly condemned Santander's posts, but the team went even further in their comments this week. On Thursday, Nov. 12, the Blue Jays said they recently met with Muslim members of the Toronto community.
"We met with leaders in Toronto's Muslim communities today, who shared the harm, caused by Anthony Santander's Islamophobic social media posts," Mark Shaprio, president and CEO of the Blue Jays, said in a statement Thursday. "The opportunity to listen and learn was important and reaffirms our beliefs and values as an organization.
"We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate."
Shapiro continued: "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 against all forms of hate. The Blue Jay will continue to ensure our organization reflects the inclusive community we are proud to call home."
Santander's posts included one shared post on his Instagram story that claimed that "America voted for Sharia Last Night!" accompanied by a picture of El-Sayed, according to a report by The Athletic. Another post shared on Santander's account claimed that, "Islam is not peaceful," according to The Athletic.
Santander, 32, a native of Venezuela, hasn't yet spoken publicly since sharing and then deleting the Instagram posts.
Earlier this week at Major League Baseball's general managers meetings in Las Vegas, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters, including Canada's Sportsnet, that he has spoken to Santander.
"There really aren't words to express my level of disappointment," Atkins said, according to Sportsnet. "Anything exacerbating some level of hate, anti-Islamic, is just extremely concerning and extremely disappointing.
"I also talked to Anthony about his lack of awareness, realizing that he has a very large microphone, what that meant. We're working exceptionally hard internally to ensure, and we have been, that it's a safe environment, that baseball is for everyone. It's very important to us. It's a part of our organizational values and his behavior did not align with that."
Atkins told reporters he told Santander he should speak publicly to address the situation. Atkins also told reporters that he believes Santander "feels badly."
Santander has played nine seasons in the major leagues, and three seasons ago with the Baltimore Orioles, he was one of the game's best power hitters, with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs. He became a free agent after the 2024 season, and signed a five-year, $92.5-million contract with the Blue Jays (after some reported interest from the Tigers). He missed most of the 2025 season and all of the 2026 season because of injuries.
El-Sayed, 40, the son of Egyptian immigrants who was born in Michigan and attended Bloomfield Hills Andover High School and the University of Michigan, beat Mike Rogers on Nov. 3 in one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races of the year. El-Sayed beat Rogers by 7 percentage points, and will take office in January.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Blue Jays condemn player's anti-Muslim posts aimed at Abdul El-Sayed