Blue Jays apologize after Santander’s anti-Muslim posts

The Toronto Blue Jays apologized to Muslim communities and fans after outfielder Anthony Santander shared anti-Muslim posts on Instagram, while general manager Ross Atkins said he had urged the player to address the posts publicly. Santander has not publicly commented or apologized, and the team has not announced disciplinary action.

Team president and CEO Mark Shapiro said the club met with leaders in Toronto’s Muslim communities, who described harm caused by Santander’s posts. In a statement, Shapiro said the Blue Jays were deeply sorry and would work with community leaders to oppose Islamophobia and other forms of hate.

The posts appeared after the U.S. midterm elections and included claims about Sharia law and Islam. One referred to the election of Abdul ElSayed to the U.S. Senate from Michigan, saying America had voted for Sharia; another stated that Islam was not peaceful. Santander deleted the posts two days after sharing them.

Atkins addressed the matter at Major League Baseball’s general managers’ meetings on Tuesday. He said he was disappointed in Santander and had told him he needed to address the issue. The club had also issued an initial statement saying individual...