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Defense department pulls Jackie Robinson story
The Department of Defense deleted a story on its website that highlighted Jackie Robinson's military service, with the original URL redirecting to one that added the letters "dei" in front of "sports-heroes."
The Department of Defense deleted a story on its website that highlighted Jackie Robinson's military service, with the original URL redirecting to one that added the letters "dei" in front of "sports-heroes."
The scrubbing of the page followed a Feb. 27 memo from the Pentagon that called for a "digital content refresh" that would "remove and archive DoD news articles, photos, and videos promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)."
The Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment by ESPN.
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Robinson, who served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947 when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the most integral figures in American sports history, Robinson won the National League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards during a 10-year career that led to a first-ballot induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The deleted story was part of the Department of Defense's "Sports Heroes Who Served" series. Other stories, including one on Robinson's teammate Pee-Wee Reese that references his acceptance of Robinson amid racial tensions in his first season, remain on the site.
Robinson was drafted into military service in 1942 and eventually joined the 761st tank battalion, also known as the Black Panthers. He was court martialed in July 1944 after he refused an order by a driver to move to the back of an Army bus he had boarded. Robinson was acquitted and coached Army athletics teams until his honorable discharge in November 1944.
Robinson, who died in 1972, remains an ever-present figure in MLB, with his No. 42 permanently retired in 1997. On April 15 every year, the league celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, honoring the date of his debut with the Dodgers by having every player in the majors wear his jersey number. Last year, Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow who is 102 years old, attended the April 15 game between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field.
Martin Luther King Jr. said Robinson's trailblazing efforts in baseball made his success possible, and Robinson joined him on the front lines of the civil rights movement.
"The life of Jackie Robinson represents America at its best," Leonard Coleman, the former National League president and chairman of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, told ESPN. "Removing an icon and Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient from government websites represents America at its worst."
The removal of Robinson's story reflects other efforts by the Pentagon to follow a series of executive orders by President Donald Trump to purge DEI from the federal government. A story on Ira Hayes, a Native American who was one of the Marines to raise the American flag at Iwo Jima, was removed with a URL relabeled with "dei," according to The Washington Post. Other stories about Navajo code talkers, who were lauded for their bravery covertly relaying messages in World War I and World War II, were likewise deleted, according to Axios.
The Department of Defense also removed a website that celebrated Charles Calvin Rogers, a Black general who received the Medal of Honor, but it later reestablished the site, according to the Post.
On Feb. 20, Trump announced plans to build statues of Robinson, boxing icon Muhammad Ali and NBA star Kobe Bryant in the National Garden of American Heroes, a sculpture park he proposed during his first administration.
