Blue Jays slugger Anthony Santander under fire for controversial Abdul El-Sayed posts after midterms

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander faced widespread backlash after reposting controversial social media videos criticizing Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim faith following the 2026 midterm elections. The 32-year-old reposted videos captioned "America voted for Sharia Last Night" and "Islam is not peaceful" to his Instagram story before they were removed. The Blue Jays issued a statement rebuking the posts, emphasizing that individual comments do not reflect the team's inclusive organizational values.

Santander's posts came after Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim U.S. Senator. The outfielder is currently under a five-year, $92.5 million contract with three years remaining, but has dealt with injuries since the 2025 postseason and struggled with a .175 batting average across just 54 games for Toronto.