A staffer was fired by the Washington Nationals just days after he was caught by a hidden camera suggesting the team had placed a social media ban on Catholic pitcher Trevor Williams.
Sean Hudson, who served as director of community relations for the baseball team, was filmed discussing internal issues including the team’s attempts to keep Donald Trump happy.
The video, which was posted on social media by conservative activist and ‘guerrilla journalist’ James O’Keefe, reportedly prompted a Republican lawmaker to call for a Department of Justice investigation into alleged religious discrimination.
Hudson is heard suggesting that the team keeps Williams out of social media content after he publicly criticized the Los Angeles Dodgers over a ‘Pride Night’ initiative.
‘One of our pitchers, Trevor Williams, he is very Catholic,’ Hudson says in the video. ‘The Dodgers had a group out to the stadium [The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence] who were drag queens who were sometimes dressed up as nuns.’
Hudson continued: ‘[Williams] went on social media like: “This is wrong, this is my religion, you are all mocking it…” Because of that, we don’t use him on social [media].’
A staffer (L) was fired by the Washington Nationals after suggesting the team had placed a social media ban on Catholic pitcher Trevor Williams (R)
The video prompted a lawmaker to call for an investigation into alleged religious discrimination
Williams was asked about the event last year and said: ‘It becomes absurd… if this is gonna continue to happen, what are we doing?’
He continued: ‘Baseball stadiums should be a place where everyone feels welcomed, like 100 percent. We should all feel welcomed there. But that was clearly against one certain religion. If you don’t draw the line in the sand, who’s gonna do it?’
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence claim to be ‘a leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns’ who ‘believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty.’
According to Fox News, the video prompted Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert to urge acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to look into alleged religious discrimination.
Hudson was also heard suggesting that the team are wary of getting on the wrong side of the White House. ‘If we p** off Trump too much, he could slash the sports and entertainment budget for DC,’ he said.
In a statement to The Athletic, the Nationals said they ‘are aware of comments made by an employee which were recorded without the employee’s knowledge and disseminated without his permission.
‘The statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions or actions of the Washington Nationals.
‘The Nationals are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our players, fans and staff, and we vehemently deny any allegations to the contrary.’
