NEWS PROVIDED BY
CatholicVote
May 27, 2026
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt sent formal letters today to Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner and to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division following reports that a senior Nationals executive admitted the team excludes pitcher Trevor Williams from certain official social media content because of his Catholic faith and public defense of Catholics.
The letters follow a report released by journalist James O’Keefe in which Sean Hudson, the Nationals’ Director of Community Relations, was allegedly caught on camera discussing Williams’ Catholic faith and his public criticism of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group widely criticized by Catholics for performances mocking Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, priests, and religious sisters.
According to the report, Hudson described Williams as “very Catholic,” referenced Williams’ public objection to the Dodgers’ decision, and then said: “Because of that, we don’t use him on social.”
“If accurate, this is not a misunderstanding or an ordinary communications decision,” Reinhardt said. “It is a direct admission that a Catholic player may have been excluded from official team promotion because he publicly defended his faith. Catholics are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding equal treatment under the law.”
In her letter to Lerner, Reinhardt demanded that the Nationals immediately clarify whether it is the team’s policy, formal or informal, to sideline Catholic players because of sincerely held religious beliefs or public religious expression.
“The Washington Nationals owe Catholics, Nationals fans, Major League Baseball, and their own players an immediate answer to a simple question: Is it the policy of the Washington Nationals to punish, exclude, sideline, or diminish players because they are Catholic, because they live their faith publicly, or because they object to public acts of anti-Catholic mockery?” Reinhardt wrote.
The letter also asked whether Nationals leadership tolerates senior personnel who believe Catholic players should be treated differently because of their religious convictions.
“The Washington Nationals owe Catholics, Nationals fans, Major League Baseball, and your own players an immediate clarification regarding the serious allegation that the Washington Nationals punish, exclude, sideline, or diminish players because they are Catholic, live their faith publicly, or object to public acts of anti-Catholic mockery,” Reinhardt wrote.
CatholicVote requested that the Nationals provide a written response addressing whether Hudson’s reported statement reflects any formal or informal team policy, whether Williams has been excluded from social media or promotional opportunities because of his Catholic faith, whether other Nationals players or employees have been treated differently because of religious beliefs, what personnel action the team intends to take, and what steps the organization will adopt to prevent religious discrimination against Catholic players, employees, and fans.
CatholicVote also sent a formal complaint letter to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, requesting the Honorable Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, investigate possible unlawful religious discrimination by the Washington Nationals.
In that letter, Reinhardt wrote that the reported conduct raises serious questions under federal civil rights law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of religion.
“If accurate, this statement is alarming,” Reinhardt wrote to Assistant Attorney General Dhillon. “It suggests that a Major League Baseball franchise may have taken an adverse employment-related action, reputational action, promotional action, or workplace action against a player because of his religion and his sincere public expression of Catholic belief.”
The DOJ complaint asks the Civil Rights Division to investigate whether the Nationals have formally or informally excluded Williams from official social media, marketing, promotional, community-relations, or public-facing activity because of his Catholic faith; whether any Nationals employee or department directed personnel to avoid using Williams because of his religious views; whether other Catholic players, employees, contractors, or applicants have been treated differently because of Catholic beliefs; and whether Hudson’s reported comments reflect a broader culture of religious hostility within the organization.
CatholicVote also requested that the DOJ coordinate with or refer the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if another federal agency has primary jurisdiction over any aspect of the case.
“This matter is bigger than one player,” Reinhardt said. “If a Major League Baseball organization in the nation’s capital believes that being a faithful Catholic makes a player unsuitable for public promotion, then every Catholic employee in America should be alarmed. The law does not protect only fashionable beliefs. It protects Catholics, too.”
Williams, who describes himself on social media as “Servus Christi” and “Servant of Christ,” publicly criticized the Dodgers in 2023 after the team honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. CatholicVote said the reported treatment of Williams sends a chilling message to Catholic athletes and employees across the country.
“No Catholic should be punished for saying that anti-Catholic bigotry is wrong,” Reinhardt said. “Trevor Williams defended the faith when it was mocked in the public square. If the Nationals retaliated against him for that, they must be held accountable.”
CatholicVote also called on Catholics to show public support for Williams by following him on social media, offering messages of solidarity and encouragement.
“This is how Catholics respond,” Reinhardt said. “We should elevate voices in the public square committed to the defense of the faith.”
CatholicVote said it is awaiting a prompt written response from the Washington Nationals and will continue pressing for accountability from both the team and federal civil rights authorities.
CatholicVote is a national faith-based advocacy organization dedicated to inspiring every Catholic in America to live out the truths of the faith in public life.
SOURCE CatholicVote
CONTACT: Laurie Olsen, 571-305-3814, lolsen@catholicvote.org