Jackie Robinson article on MLB legend's Army history removed from Department of Defense website

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1950s: Jackie Robinson in his U.S. Army uniform. (Photo by William C. Green/Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images) — Jackie Robinson objected to racism in the U.S. Army before he signed with the Dodgers. (Photo by William C. Green/Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images)

Before Tuesday, there was a story dedicated to the Army history of Jackie Robinson, who defiantly opposed racism in the military before breaking baseball's color barrier, on the website of the Department of Defense.

As of Tuesday evening, it was no longer there.

As KSBW and ESPN's Jeff Passan noted, the webpage has been scrubbed and the URL now features "dei" before the story's headline, indicating it was potentially taken down as part of President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from everything with ties the federal government.

Robinson isn't alone in having a webpage taken down from the Pentagon's website. The Trump Administration drew outrage earlier Tuesday when it gave the Navajo Code Talkers a similar treatment, as well as a Black recipient of the Medal of Honor and Japanese American veterans. In each case, the Trump administration said their removal was a mistake on the part of an automated process and the content would be restored.

You can read the entire Robinson story here via the Internet Archive. It goes through Robinson's life before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, most notably recapping the incident that nearly derailed the MLB legend's military career:

On July 6, 1944, Robinson boarded an Army bus. The driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus, but Robinson refused. The driver called the military police, who took Robinson into custody. He was subsequently court martialed, but he was acquitted.

After his acquittal, he was transferred to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, where he served as a coach for Army athletics until receiving an honorable discharge in November 1944.

Robinson would go on to a successful Negro League career, then a successful MLB career. In addition to breaking the color barrier, he would go on to slash .313/.410/.477 in his career with seven All-Star nods, an MVP award, a Rookie of the Year Award, a batting title and the Dodgers' long-awaited first World Series title in 1955. His No. 42 was officially retired across MLB in 1997, a reflection of his universal significance.

One person who has paid tribute to Robinson is Trump, who announced in February as part of Black History Month that a statue of Robinson, along with other notable Black figures, would be added to his planned National Garden of American Heroes:

"Today, we pay tribute to the generations of Black legends, champions, warriors and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness. And you really are great, great people," Trump told the crowded room at the White House Thursday.

Robinson's family has objected to Trump's use of his image in the past. After Trump's 2020 campaign featured a picture of Robinson and other civil rights heroes in an ad, Robinson's daughter, Sharon Robinson, responded in outrage and demanded the image be removed:

"Jackie Robinson’s family strongly objects to the use of Jackie Robinson’s image in a Donald Trump @JRFoundation The Trump campaign is in opposition to all that Jackie Robinson stood for and believed in. We’re insulted and demand that his image be removed!"

As the reigning World Series champions, Robinson's Dodgers are theoretically in line to visit Trump at the White House, which the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have said they will do. The Dodgers have not said whether or not they plan to do so. They are scheduled to face the Washington Nationals on the road, a series in which World Series winners often visit the White House, beginning on April 7.

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