"Yogi Berra, DiMaggio wore pinstripes with pride"; "Where can I buy his jersey?" - Fans divided after Yankees draft Core Jackson despite swastika past

The New York Yankees have landed in controversy after one of their 2025 MLB draft selections, Core Jackson, admitted to drawing a swastika on a Jewish student’s door during his freshman year at the University of Nebraska.

In an interview with the Athletic this week, Core Jackson said he was unaware of what he was doing as he was "blackout drunk." While the incident took place in 2021, the fifth round draft selection said he informed MLB teams about his actions before the 2024 draft.

The Yankees drafted the promising infielder in the fifth round of this year's draft in July. Fans reacted to the Bronx Bombers selecting Jackson despite his controversial past.

"Yogi Berra stormed Normandy. DiMaggio and Rizzuto gave up years of their careers to fight in WWII. They wore the pinstripes with pride. Now you draft a guy who drew a swastika on a Jewish student’s door? You’ve disgraced the legacy of men who fought that type of hate," wrote a fan.

"Friendly reminder: Steinbrenner, Levine, Trost, Cashman...all Jewish," wrote another fan.

"Where can I buy his jersey?" Wrote another fan.

The fans remained divided over the promising shortstop's controversial past with a few taking jibes at struggling infielder Anthony Volpe.

"And somehow he’s still going to terrorize new york less than Volpe has."

"As long as he can throw a ball further then Anthony volpe I’ll forgive him."

"Now do the other 779 active MLB players. I bet you will find plenty of skeletons."

Yankees defend decision to draft Core Jackson

Core Jackson asked for forgiveness for his actions as a 17-year-old and said he felt like the "worst person" in the world. He was handed a fine by Nebraska and was sent for sensitivity training and community service.

"I would ask for their forgiveness and let them know I’m not the same person I was when that happened," Jackson said. "I’ve grown up. I’ve learned. I’ve reconciled. I’ve done the things I needed to do to learn about it."

While the Yankees have faced backlash over Jackson's selection, amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer explained sticking with the young infielder despite his past.

"We were looking for accountability,” Oppenheimer said. “We believe his actions since the incident show remorse and growth.

It'll be interesting to see how fans react if the Yankees promote the promising infielder and he dons the iconic Pinstripes.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash