Two former off-ice officials are suing the NHL after being fired for fighting back against racism
I'd like to preface this by stating, first and foremost, that hockey needs more journalists like Rick Westhead. On Tuesday, Rick is reporting that two former off-ice NHL officials are suing the NHL, alleging that they were fired by the league for reporting a co-worker for using racist language.
David Walkowiak and James Watkins are the officials who have filed the suit. The two worked as off-ice officials with the NHL for Tampa Bay Lightning games. They were both let go from the league on February 27th, 2020. The reason was because, according their allegations, is that they came outed co-worker, Pat DeLorenzo Jr. for making racist comments in the workplace.
The lawsuit alleges that "DeLorenzo made negative racial comments about employees, including but not limited to African-American hockey players and the African-American veteran, Sonya Bryson-Kirksey, who sings the national anthem at Tampa Bay Lightning games at Amalie Arena."
The two officials reported DeLorenzo to their crew chief, Ron Brace. According to Rick Westhead, Brace told TSN in 2020 that he never heard racist comments from DeLorenzo.
Walkowiak and Watkins had evidence of DeLorenzo's conduct but both men were nervous that they would lose their jobs because they reported the incidents. All 4 of DeLorenzo, Brace, Walkowiak, and Watkins were ultimately terminated by the NHL, but Walkowiak and Watkins are alleging that they were terminated for being whistleblowers.
If these allegations are proven to be true, this is another example of the NHL failing it's people in order to protect the old boys club and an indictment against the league prioritizing avoiding controversy instead of doing the right thing. This incident is just another one of the countless examples of the NHL being incompetent in its handling serious situations.
