Blue Jays respond after their player shares Islamophobic social media posts
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Anthony Santander is one of the more active members of the team on social media, but a couple of his recent posts have landed him in hot water.
Following Tuesday’s U.S. election, Santander shared a series of Islamophobic videos to his Instagram story, including claims that elected Muslim politicians are radicals and that Islam is a religion driven by war.
The first video, shared from the account @theamericantruthproject, claimed that all Muslims elected to office on Tuesday are radicals who want to impose Sharia law in the U.S. Congress.
The second video featured a Christian minister who described Islam as “violent” and “driven by war.” The minister went on to say that Islam is not peaceful and that there is “no such thing as kind Muslims.”
Toronto Blue Jays player Anthony Santander shared a series of Islamophobic posts to his page following Tuesday’s U.S. election. (@anthonysantander/Instagram)
Santander has since removed both videos from his Instagram story, but they were up long enough to receive criticism from fans.
“Anthony Santander sharing Islamophobic reels on his story is not how I wanted to start the day,” one person wrote on X.
“In a province with a large Muslim population, Islamophobia is not a great look,” another wrote.
The Toronto Blue Jays organization has long prided itself on its commitment to diversity and inclusion, in addition to providing a safe and welcoming environment regardless of an individual’s religion or background.
Santander is entering the third year of his $92.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
A spokesperson for the Blue Jays organization addressed the posts in a statement to Offside.
“Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization’s values and beliefs.”
The 32-year-old Venezuelan missed the entire 2026 season with a shoulder injury. Since signing a five-year, $92.5-million contract with Toronto ahead of the 2025 season, Santander has appeared in just 54 games in a Blue Jays uniform.
He’ll enter the third year of his contract in 2027.
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