The Toronto Blue Jays have asked Anthony Santander to publicly address controversy after the outfielder shared anti-Muslim posts that were later deleted.
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The Toronto Blue Jays have asked Anthony Santander to publicly address a controversy tied to anti-Muslim posts he shared on social media, but the veteran outfielder has remained quiet and has not issued an apology so far.
The posts drew backlash after Santander shared them following the U.S. midterm elections last week before deleting them two days later. The videos included a Christian preacher saying, “There is no such thing as kind Muslims,” and another video suggesting Sharia law would be imposed on the U.S. after Abdul El-Sayed was elected to the Senate in Michigan.
In a general statement issued last week, the Blue Jays said they were aware of the situation. General manager Ross Atkins was asked by reporters about the controversy Tuesday at Major League Baseball’s GM meetings in Las Vegas, and said he told Santander he should address things publicly. “There really aren’t words to express my level of disappointment,” Atkins said.
Messages left with Santander and his sports management agency on Wednesday were not immediately returned. “To not say anything is to remain complicit in the behaviour,” said Mike Naraine, a sport management associate professor at Brock University.
Naraine said an apology for some stakeholders would not be enough but that at least it would be a start. He also said athletes have a voice, but that views rooted in bigotry, racism or Islamophobia are “incorrect” and “wrong.”
Santander is 32 and from Venezuela. He did not play at the major-league level last season due to injuries. Toronto signed him to a five-year, US$92.5-million contract in January 2025.
Steven Zhou, the media and communications lead for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said the community has been “very, very upset” and that the NCCM is open to meeting with Santander and team officials.
Questions also remained about how the team might handle possible social media policy and contract morality clause concerns. Messages left with the Blue Jays and Rogers Communications Inc. were not immediately returned. Lawyer Elliot Saccucci of Loopstra Nixon LLP said discipline could follow, while noting the prospect of a parting of ways could be unlikely given the financial commitment.
Baltimore’s Anthony Santander hit 44 home runs in 2024, but recorded a .175 batting average with six home runs over 54 games in an injury-plagued 2025 season with Toronto.
Saccucci said he did not know whether Rogers would “spend (about 63) million dollars to release this player,” adding it would still be a “significant financial commitment” for a player the club might not retain.
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