What to know
- Blue Jays right fielder Anthony Santander shared multiple Islamophobic posts on Instagram on Nov. 4 following the U.S. midterm elections, including posts targeting Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed and questioning whether Islam is a peaceful religion.
- The posts sparked outrage among Blue Jays fans, many of whom called the content disrespectful and demanded the team take action. Santander deleted the posts but has not publicly addressed them.
- On Nov. 12, the Blue Jays issued an apology after meeting with Toronto Muslim community leaders, condemning Islamophobia and apologizing for the harm caused. The team also pledged to work with Muslim leaders to fight hate.
- Fans criticized the team’s delayed response, questioned why Santander had not personally apologized and demanded consequences, including his removal from the team. The Jays have not announced disciplinary action. Santander is expected to return during Spring Training in February 2027 after missing the 2026 season due to injuries.
The Toronto Blue Jays have issued an apology after a player shared Islamophobic posts on social media following the U.S. midterm results, sparking over a week of backlash from fans.
On Nov. 4, right fielder Anthony Santander took to his Instagram story, sharing multiple anti-Islamic posts following the U.S. midterm elections.
One of the posts displayed a picture of Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed. The video’s thumbnail claimed that “America voted for Sharia (Law) last night.” In another post, Santander shared a video that discussed that Islam was not a peaceful religion.
Following the posts, many Jays fans were outraged, saying what Santander shared was “disgusting.”
“I’m all for free speech, but this is extremely disgusting and flat-out disrespectful stuff shared by Anthony Santander,” one X user wrote the day after the posts were shared.
“The fact that thousands of Muslims are Blue Jays fans is f**ked up; he would post sh*t like that. The Blue Jays need to get rid of him,” another X user wrote.
Santander removed the posts soon after sharing them, but did not comment on what he chose to share.
Instead, the Blue Jays shared a statement about the posts on Thursday, Nov. 12, over a week later.
“We met with leaders in Toronto’s Muslim communities today, who shared the harm caused by Anthony Santander’s Islamophobic social media posts. The opportunity to listen and learn was important and reaffirms our beliefs and values as an organization,” the team stated in part. “We condemn Islamophobia and all forms of hate. The Blue Jays are deeply sorry to the Muslim community and our fans for the pain and harm these Islamophobic posts have caused.”
The team added that they plan to work with Muslim leaders in the community to fight hate.
They did not say whether Santander would face any consequences for his online activity.
Fan reaction to Blue Jays apology
The response by the MLB team was one that fans did not take lightly.
Many wondered why it took the Jays so long to respond to the initial posts.
“It took a week to address this directly. That’s a lot of time to think about the harm caused,” one X user wrote.
“It’s clear this statement was only released due to pressure,” another user said.
Many fans were also saying Santander himself should be the one apologizing.
“Shouldn’t it be Santander doing the listening and learning?” one fan asked on X. “The Jays brass already showed that they know Toronto is a multicultural city and their fan base is diverse with their first statement on this. And every comment since.”
“Did he apologize himself? There needs to be a public apology by HIM,” another wrote on X.
The comments by Santander evidently sparked many to share their own Islamophobic comments, with the Jays’ own apology flooded with support for the right fielder and spewing anti-Islamic hate speech.
“Now it’s gonna be another week before they realize the racism and BS people have been spreading in his defence because of how long they let it go,” one X user wrote.
Ultimately, many called for Santander to face consequences, including a removal from the team’s roster, adding that the Jays did not mention what the outcome of this incident would be.
Santander has yet to play a game during the 2026 season due to left shoulder surgery and back issues. His last official MLB game appearance was in October 2025 during the postseason.
He has been ruled out by the team for the rest of the season due to his injuries and is expected to play next during Spring Training in February 2027.
