The world of Major League Baseball doesn’t usually intersect with the war on terror, but a picture of a man named Mohammed Emwazi who was previously known only as “Jihadi John” — an Islamic State militant who, according to CBS, officials say has appeared in beheading videos — has pulled the Pittsburgh Pirates into the fringes of this story.
As you can see above in a picture of Emwazi, he is wearing a Pirates hat; a distressing sight for the team and their fans, and something that the Pirates felt that they needed to address in a statement.
“The classic gold P stands for Pittsburgh and is worn by our players, coaches and fans with a great sense of pride. It is absolutely sickening to everyone within the Pirates organization, and to our great fans, to see this murderer wearing a Pirates cap in this old photo.”
While perhaps unnecessary, it’s hard to blame the organization for wanting to put as much distance between their brand and that picture as possible.
(Source: CBS Pittsburgh, Twitter)
