The Toronto Blue Jays apologized on Nov. 12, 2026, for outfielder Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic Instagram posts after criticism of the club’s initial response, USA TODAY reported. The statement, attributed to team president and CEO Mark Shapiro, explicitly condemned Islamophobia. Source
“The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim community and our fans for the pain and harm these Islamophobic posts have caused,” the statement said, according to USA TODAY. It also said: “We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate.” Source
The apology is the club’s. Front Office Sports reported on Nov. 13 that Santander had not publicly addressed the posts. Source
What changed in the response
The earlier statement, provided to the Toronto Sun by a team spokesperson, began “Baseball is for everyone” and said: “Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.” USA TODAY reported that the response drew criticism for failing to apologize and not taking a strong enough stance against Islamophobia. Source Source
In the new statement, Shapiro said the club had met with leaders in Toronto’s Muslim communities on Nov. 12, who described the harm caused by Santander’s posts. The team pledged to work with Muslim community leaders “to fight against all forms of hate.” Source Source
The Toronto Sun reported that Santander shared two clips on Instagram Stories after the U.S. midterm elections. USA TODAY reported that the posts criticized Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed and that screenshots showed a video caption reading “Islam is not peaceful.” Front Office Sports reported that the posts were later taken down. Source Source Source
Atkins told Santander to address it
At the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas on Nov. 10, GM Ross Atkins said he had expressed his disappointment directly to Santander, according to the Toronto Sun’s account of his remarks. Source Source
Asked whether Santander should address the issue himself, Atkins said: “I told him that he needed to and that he should.” Source
Whether Santander would face further discipline remained unclear in Front Office Sports’ Nov. 13 report. Source
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