Evander Kane buries the Hockey Diversity Alliance.
One of the founding members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance has taken the organization to task with a public statement.
The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) is facing a major controversy, one that stems directly from one of the organization's founding members.
On Friday, seemingly out of nowhere, Edmonton Oilers star forward Evander Kane took to social media to publicly call out the HDA. In a lengthy message, Kane revealed that, at least in his estimation, the organization had strayed away from its original goals and was now being used to push the agendas of those in a leadership position within the organization.
Here is the statement release by Kane, unedited and in full:
After careful consideration, I will be stepping away from the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA). Diversity within the sport of hockey is something I have been passionate about since entering the NHL in 2009. Three years ago, along with fellow founders, the Hockey Diversity alliance was formed with its primary purpose to the rid the game we all love of racism and inspire a new diverse generation of players and fans.
Over the course of our respective careers, each of my fellow alliance members have endured multiple forms of racism, and it was our initial goal to shed light on these experiences. In its early days, the impact and role of the HDA was singificant. Unfortunately, my greatest concerns about our organization have come to fruition and the HDA is now being led and influenced by members with individual agendas. There has also been a combative approach with other organizations and groups that have embarked on similar goals. This is a method I do not support.
As difficult and disappointing as this decision is today, I will continue to do my part in helping to grow the game of hockey for players of colour. I hope to bring people together in a positive way to create a better future for the next generation of young hockey players.
Sincerely,
Evander Kane
These are some heavy accusations from Kane and given his status as one of the founding members of the organization they do appear to be quite damning. It will be interesting to see what Kane does next, and if that could lead to a further fracturing of the HDA.
