While Jackie Robinson’s military history may be absent from the U.S. Department of Defense’s website, Clinton Yates firmly maintains that the MLB icon’s legacy remains untarnished. During an episode of Clinton & Friends, the ESPN host discussed the Pentagon’s removal of an article about Robinson, which appears to be a facet of the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
As Yates highlighted the Hall of Fame second baseman’s remarkable achievements on and off the field, he asserted that Robinson’s impact endures regardless of its visibility on government platforms. “What we’re not going to do is sit up here and act like any website or any other place is going to somehow make us forget about the impact of Jackie on this country and on the people of this nation,” Yates stated. “Jackie Robinson was the kind of character that you come along once in a lifetime. What he did to serve this country, it’s something that still people forget about. There was an incident in which he refused to move to the back of an Army bus, which led to his arrest and a court martial. And guess what? He was acquitted. Jack Roosevelt Robinson is the most important Black athlete in the history of this nation. Don’t ever forget it, regardless of what some website’s gonna tell you.”
https://t.co/SyouYHCA6e pic.twitter.com/EDjJTIygIf
— Clinton Yates (@clintonyates) March 19, 2025
Yates shared a clip of his remarks on X and also highlighted ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan’s commentary regarding the article’s removal. Though ESPN commentators typically steer clear of political discussions, this issue resonates deeply within the sports community. Earlier this week, a Pentagon spokesperson acknowledged that pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor recipient and Japanese American service members were mistakenly taken down but later restored. While the spokesperson defended the administration’s anti-DEI initiatives, it remains to be seen if the backlash over the Robinson article will prompt similar actions.
