The (Alleged) Blacklist at Nationals Park
Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals (James A. Pittman / Imagn Images)
They say all press is good press, but this story challenges said narrative. The Washington Nationals find themselves in the national news cycle (no pun intended), and it’s not for James Wood’s excellent season. James O’Keefe of O’Keefe Media published a clandestine recording of the director of community relations, Sean Hudson, proclaiming that starting pitcher Trevor Williams is excluded from certain social media promotions for the club due to faith-informed comments he’s made over the years.
Of course, this is a delicate topic, so I’m going to attempt a relatively grounded rendering of the situation here. Back in June 2023, the Dodgers honored an organization called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a Community Hero Award for their 10th annual pride night. The group is a non profit organization founded back in 1979 in San Francisco, with a brand built around provocative humor and parodies of Catholicism. They are consistent fundraisers for LGBTQ+ causes, but are also considered to be polarizing and have been accused of mocking the Catholic Church and faith. This announcement by the Dodgers triggered significant criticism by players, pundits, fans, etc. The club initially retracted the invitation and then decided to double down and invite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as originally planned. Two players on the Dodgers, Blake Treinen and Clayton Kershaw, expressed their discontent with the decision, and Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams also did not approve.
Williams, an MLB veteran in his thirties, was in his first season with the Nats at the time, and felt compelled to publicly condemn the Dodgers’ decision to platform and support the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Per Trevor’s viral tweet below, he felt that the honoring of the group dishonors Catholicism. When asked about his decision to defend his religious beliefs, he responded to EWTN’s Colm Flynn, “It had to be said,” Williams said. “We cannot stand idly by while Our Lord gets mocked.” The right hander also did an interview with Bishop Robert Barron more recently in 2025, and spoke more in length about his perspective.
Trevor Williams 2023 Tweet
This clearly drew the ire of the Nationals organization (according to Sean Hudson anyway), and there are now politicians calling for a DOJ probe into the allegations. Hudson’s LinkedIn page went dark almost immediately, and he has since been let go from the org. The team made a statement that they were "aware of comments made by an employee which were recorded without the employee's knowledge and disseminated without his permission." They added that "the statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions, or actions of the Washington Nationals," and that "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."
If Hudson’s statements are true, this is not a great look for the organization as a whole. Of course, all groups must be respected, which includes LGBTQ+ as well as folks devoted to their religious beliefs, Catholic or otherwise. The Dodgers likely could have celebrated a LGBTQ+ group less polarizing, perhaps one that doesn’t actively parody a religion, such as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Whatever the underlying dispute may be, a player needs to trust that his employer has his back. Anything else could be problematic for a clubhouse – not only a political and legal problem, but a baseball one.
