Five players for the Tampa Bay Rays refused to bow down and pledge their allegiance to the LGBT movement.
The players declined to wear the gay pride logo on their uniforms this weekend saying it would violate their religious beliefs.
The players were identified by TMZ.com as Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson.
Adam said their decision had nothing to do with hate or homophobia.
“It’s not judgmental. It’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here,” he told TMZ.com.
USA Today sports columnist Nancy Arrmour was one of many leftists who blasted the players.
“Oh for God’s sake,” she wrote on social media. “These folks who bastardize religion to suit their bigotry would do well to actually READ the New Testament. I’d recommend starting with Matthew.”
“Tampa Bay Rays management completely screwed up their Pride Night,” OutSports reporter Cyd Zeigler said. “This will undermine the support the team and most players & coaches have shown the LGBTQ community.”
Adam defended their faith-based approach to the issue.
“it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different,” he saaid.
Today, we wear our #Pride on our sleeves pic.twitter.com/bcOLJNhx6Y
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 4, 2022
Just people showing their #Pride pic.twitter.com/jtdgHJSLOO
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 4, 2022