The Yankees drafted Core Jackson, who admitted to drawing a swastika on a Jewish student’s door while at the University of Nebraska.
Jackson said the 2021 incident occurred while he was intoxicated and has since apologized, stating he’s grown and learned from the experience.
The Yankees conducted thorough background checks before drafting Jackson and owner Hal Steinbrenner approved the selection.
The New York Yankees selected 19 players in the 2025 MLB Draft, including one prospect who admitted that he drew a swastika on a Jewish student’s door while attending college at the University of Nebraska.
Core Jackson, who was the Yankees’ fifth-round selection this year, told The Athletic that the incident happened in 2021 when he was a 17-year-old freshman, also telling the website that he couldn’t remember drawing the swastika because he was ‘blackout drunk.’
Jackson said that he called teams to let them know about what he had done before the 2024 draft, adding the incident was a ‘really stupid mistake,’ and he is no longer “the person he was when it all happened.’
‘I think it’s important that it is part of my story,” Jackson told The Athletic. “I have this platform now that God has given me, and I can share my story about his forgiveness.’
Nebraska’s discipline for Jackson included a fine, sensitivity training and community service.
‘I felt like the worst person in the world,’ Jackson said of the incident. ‘I don’t want there to be any excuses for my actions.’
Jackson transferred to South Mountain Community College in Phoenix the next season, then played for the University of Utah for his junior season, hitting .321 with four homers and 33 RBIs,
He also ran into trouble in Utah after being charged with driving under the influence last September. Jackson performed community service, paid fines and was ordered to do substance abuse training after the DUI was dropped to a misdemeanor charge of impaired driving.
Jackson received a signing bonus of $147,500 when he was drafted and was assigned to High-A Hudson Valley. According to the article, the Yankees did their ‘most thorough ‘due diligence’ ‘ on Jackson, and owner Hal Steinbrenner signed off on the draft pick.
‘I would ask for their forgiveness and let them know I’m not the same person I was when that happened,’ he said of people upset about his past. ‘I’ve grown up. I’ve learned. I’ve reconciled. I’ve done the things I needed to do to learn about it.’
