NHL Reverses Course After DeSantis Admin Warns About ‘Discrimination’ Event Permitting Only Non-Whites, Non-Males

FORT LAUDERDALE (FLV) – After Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office issued a warning Friday for the National Hockey League’s advertisement in Fort Lauderdale for “discrimination,” the NHL reversed course.

The NHL will reportedly now open its job fair to all individuals ages 18 and older after previously limiting it to certain genders and ethnicities, Fox News Digital first reported.

In a now-deleted job fair post on LinkedIn, the NHL had said it was only permitting those who meet the following qualifications:

Participants must be 18 years of age or older, based in the U.S., and identify as female, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and/or a person with a disability. Veterans are also welcome and encouraged to attend.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the NHL said the “original wording of the LinkedIn post associated with the event was not accurate.”

“The Pathway to Hockey Summit is an informational and networking event designed to encourage all individuals to consider a career in our game – and, in particular, alert those who might not be familiar with hockey to the opportunities it offers,” the NHL spokesperson said.

Here is a screenshot of the job fair prior to the change:

DeSantis’ office had warned the NHL that “discrimination of any sort is not welcome in the state of Florida, and we do not abide by the woke notion that discrimination should be overlooked if applied in a politically popular manner or against a politically unpopular demographic.”

“We are fighting all discrimination in our schools and our workplaces, and we will fight it in publicly accessible places of meeting or activity,” they continued. “We call upon the National Hockey League to immediately remove and denounce the discriminatory prohibitions it has imposed on attendance to the 2023 ‘Pathway to Hockey’ summit.”

The NHL had previously said those who apply to attend the event must have done so by Friday, Jan. 13 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Those who are accepted will be notified on Jan. 17 if they were “accepted to attend.” To be accepted, they said one must be present in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 2. Registration is free.