The Washington Nationals identified and banned at least one individual from Nationals Park after he held a sign during Sunday’s game that called for the deportation of “100+ million” and included a white nationalist website, a team spokesperson told The Athletic.
The Nationals, who did not publicly share the person’s name, are reportedly coordinating with the Metropolitan Police Department on a follow-up investigation.
The banner was displayed in the upper deck down the first-base line by three individuals, who fled the area when an usher attempted to confiscate it, according to a team spokesperson.
They cast the sign over a glass barrier before the fourth inning during Washington’s daily “Salute to Service,” which honors veterans and military personnel.
“The Washington Nationals vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans,” the club said in a statement shared with The Athletic.
Jake Lang, a self-proclaimed Jan. 6 rioter and conservative influencer, took credit for the “massive flag drop” in a post on X that included a video showing it at the game.
“The crowd went absolutely nuts!!!!” Lang wrote. “They might have killed us if we didn’t get escorted out.”
It’s unclear how the individual got the banner past security, as he was not carrying an unapproved stadium bag, which must be clear and a certain size.
Nationals Park has a set of guidelines pertaining to banners and signs in its guest conduct policy on the MLB website — stating that the venue is “not a forum or place for use by the public at large for assembly and speech, for use by certain speakers or for the discussion of certain subjects.”
All banners and signs must must relate solely to either MLB, a MLB team, on-field activities of Nationals players and/or management and staff, the entity broadcasting a game, or messages pertaining guests’ birthdays, weddings, engagements or homecomings.
Nationals Park “will not tolerate the use of ‘Derogatory Language,’ concerning another person’s race, color, ethnicity, sex, gender, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin,” the policy states.
The Nationals were defeated by the Orioles, 7-3, on Sunday, and begin a three-game home series against the Mets on Tuesday.
