NHL Players Launch Inclusivity Coalition Days After League Says Pride Jerseys Won't Be Worn

The NHL announced that it has an "ignorance" problem and must be solved by forming an inclusivity coalition to reinforce support for minority and LGBT communities by the players.

In a report by The Athletic, the NHL and NHLPA announced the launch of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition. The group is spearheaded by minority and gay members of the NHL community — first introduced in 2020 as a response to the death of George Floyd.

The NHL and players association's strong response toward improving inclusivity comes after several players refused to wear Pride Night warmup jerseys during the season and neglected other Pride Night festivities.

READ: PK SUBBAN SAYS ATHLETES ‘DON’T NEED TO BE ACTIVISTS’ AS NHL PRIDE NIGHT DEBATE CONTINUES

The 20-person coalition, which includes P.K. Subban, Anson Carter, and Meghan Duggan, will aim to change the NHL by forcing players to support Pride Nights.

Players will be asked to "step up and be public allies."

"It's no secret that this is a sport that struggles with diversity and inclusion sometimes,'' Duggan previously stated. "That's why this group is here: to continue to push, to continue to make recommendations, to continue to have players step up and be public allies.''

Duggan added, "Ignorance is just not an excuse anymore,'' Duggan said. "We have so many resources at our fingertips to understand: `What is the terminology for the queer community? What is the acronym? What are different, politically correct ways to address certain groups?'

"The education is out there for people to understand, not necessarily exactly how to relate to someone from a marginalized community, but just how they can be an ally.''

Last week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that players would no longer be expected to wear themed warmup jerseys, such as the Pride Night jerseys.

A majority of NHL players agreed with ditching the standard after all the uproar seen this past season.

The new inclusion coalition may be the start of a plunge into woke politics for the NHL.