WHL player allowed to return after anti-racism training
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2021 (1544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
ONE of the players cut loose in the aftermath of the Seattle Thunderbirds racism scandal is getting another chance to play in the WHL.
On Friday, the league announced that the rights to 18-year-old centre Kai Uchacz have been traded to the Red Deer Rebels.
The Rebels sent a second-round bantam draft choice to Seattle to complete the deal.
Uchacz, who hails from Okotoks, Alta., and another unidentified player were booted off the team during Seattle’s training camp in March when, as the Seattle Times reported, the team’s lone Black player, Mekai Sanders of Gig Harbor, Wash., was allegedly called a racial slur and had a banana waved in front of him.
The league has now granted Uchacz permission to play again in 2021-22.
“Uchacz was required to undergo further training and education on anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and successfully completed the WHL Diversity Coaching Program conducted by Kamau Consulting Group and Shades of Humanity Consulting in June 2021,” the league said in a release.
“As a result of demonstrating significant progress with his ongoing education and genuine remorse for his prior behaviour, Uchacz’s return to the WHL has been fully endorsed by the diversity consulting agencies which conducted the training and education program.”
Once he joins his new team, Uchacz will be required to continue diversity and respect training.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and I deeply regret my decision-making in the past,” Uchacz said in the release.
“I have taken this time away from hockey to learn and grow as a person and have expanded my knowledge about this topic and how impactful it is. I thank the WHL for taking the time to work with me and believe in me as a person. I am thankful for the opportunity to play again.”
— staff