John Ullyot Resigns After Dispute Over Jackie Robinson Webpage Controversy

John Ullyot, who had been serving as the Pentagon’s acting chief spokesperson, officially announced his resignation on Wednesday following internal disagreements and his reassignment last month. The move comes in the wake of backlash over the removal of a Department of Defense web article celebrating baseball icon Jackie Robinson’s military legacy.

Ullyot confirmed his departure to Politico, stating the decision followed a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that failed to produce a suitable long-term role. “I made clear to Secretary Hegseth before the inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs,” Ullyot said, reiterating that his involvement with the Department was always intended to be short-term. “As that time approached, the Secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DoD. So I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week.”

Although stepping down, Ullyot emphasized that he remains a strong supporter of Secretary Hegseth.

Ullyot had been shifted to a “special projects” assignment following criticism over the removal of a webpage honoring Jackie Robinson, the trailblazer who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947. The incident sparked widespread concern over the DoD’s approach to diversity initiatives.

Initially defending the content removal, Ullyot issued a controversial statement on March 19 asserting that “diversity, equity and inclusion is dead at the Defense Department.” Shortly after, he followed up with a more conciliatory note: “Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson… we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop.”

He added that in rare cases where content falls outside DoD guidelines, corrections are made promptly: “We instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service.”

The Jackie Robinson article was later restored to the Pentagon’s website. In the meantime, Sean Parnell has taken over as the department’s top spokesperson.

Ullyot’s exit coincides with a broader shakeup at the Pentagon, as three senior officials have been placed on leave amid an ongoing investigation into internal information leaks.