Yankees defend decision to draft shortstop tied to campus swastika incident

The Yankees’ decision to draft Core Jackson was approved by owner Hal Steinbrenner and supported by Jewish officials inside the club, including team president Randy Levine, above. Photograph: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The New York Yankees’ decision to draft University of Utah shortstop Core Jackson in the fifth round of last month’s MLB draft has drawn scrutiny after the Athletic reported that Jackson once drew a swastika on a Jewish student’s dorm room door.

The incident took place in 2021, when Jackson was a 17-year-old freshman at the University of Nebraska. He told the Athletic he had been “blackout drunk” and had no memory of it. “I felt like the worst person in the world,” he said.