A group of 27 NCAA student-athletes, coaches, and administrators – including people from all 11 NCAA Division One conferences – have created the College Hockey for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, Drive4Five reported.
“We have had a lot of conversations in our locker room,” said Jasper Weatherby, a forward for the University of North Dakota, “a lot of people in our locker room that haven’t been aware, you know, haven’t seen [racial injustices] with their own eyes.”
Assistant Coach Paul Jerrard from the University of Omaha cited the protests in response to the May killing of George Floyd as the reason why he joined the initiative.
“One thing we have spent the most time talking about is the production of a video,” said Jen Flowers, Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner, “and be able to share that within college hockey specifically and hope that it’s in each locker room by the time the season starts next year.”
The group plans to partner with other organizations to further the work, such as the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE).