Major League Baseball, the players association and the New York State Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, have reached an agreement on a new set of initiatives that will protect current and future players from harassment due to sexual orientation, CBSSports.com has learned.
The new initiatives will be announced on Tuesday before the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field and will likely include a news conference with Bud Selig, commissioner of the sport, as well as MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner and Schneiderman.
The agreement is important in any number of ways. Mostly, it represents a continuation of the fact that sports leagues are taking issues of sexual discrimination seriously. The NFL reached a similar deal with Schneiderman some months ago.
Deals like this are true progress regarding protecting gay athletes and fostering an atmosphere where one day a gay active MLB or NFL player will emerge from the closet.
According to a source, baseball noticed the negotiations between Schneiderman and the NFL, and talks between MLB and the attorney general began soon after.
The changes baseball made included the creation and dissemination of a workplace code of conduct to every major and minor league player. MLB's nondiscrimination policies will also be posted in every MLB clubhouse. Training sessions conducted by the office of the commissioner for team and league personnel will be held at the bi-annual baseball meetings. These sessions are scheduled to begin in November.
A key component is that anti-discrimination polices will be distributed to scouts and others who acquire talent on the minor league level. This will be done to begin the education process as early as possible.
Baseball will also create a complaint system for reporting problems and incidents related to harassment and discrimination. Players who make or assist in filing a complaint will be protected from retaliation.