Faced with a storm that was not about to fade, the Boston Bruins quickly realized their mistake. They announced late Sunday night that they were cutting ties with controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller.
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
Updated at 9:39 p.m.
“Today, the Boston Bruins have made the decision to part ways with Mitchell Miller, effective immediately,” team president Cam Neely said in a statement.
“The decision to sign this young man to a contract was taken after careful consideration of the facts as we knew them: at 14, he made a bad decision which led to a juvenile conviction. We understand that this was an isolated incident and that he has taken significant steps to reform and is committed to further personal development. So we offered him a contract.
“Based on new information, we believe the best decision to make at this time is to remove Mitchell Miller from representing the Bruins. We hope he will continue to work with professionals and programs to continue his education and personal growth. »
Neely went one step further, promising Bruins fans, players, partners and the Boston community that they would “re-evaluate internal processes for selecting players who will have the privilege of playing in the NHL for the Bruins.” “.
The Bruins president also said he is sorry that this acquisition could “overshadow the incredible work that members of the organization are doing to support diversity and inclusion efforts”. He reserved his last words for Isaiah, the young victim of Mitchell Miller.
“I sincerely apologize if signing this contract has made you and other victims feel invisible and unheard. We apologize for the deep hurt we have caused. »
days of controversy
Recall of facts. On Friday, the Bruins agreed with Miller, a choice that raised eyebrows for many. He was drafted and then released by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020 after a story of bullying a black youth with developmental delay surfaced.
A shocking article from thearizona republic revealed the tenor of Miller’s intimidation of Isaiah Meyer-Crothers four years earlier. The newspaper wrote: “Four years ago, Miller admitted in an Ohio youth court to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, including having him lick a candy that had been rubbed into a urinal without his knowledge. Meyer-Crothers also said that Miller constantly called out to him using the word that starts with the letter N and hit him repeatedly. Other students confirmed to police the allegations that Miller used racial slurs. »
Under pressure, the Coyotes ended up releasing the player.
On Saturday, commissioner Gary Bettman was particularly virulent about this contracting. He recalled in the first place having never been consulted by the Bruins. “He’s not eligible to play in the NHL and I can’t tell you he ever will be,” he added.
According to him, the acts committed by Miller in the past are “reprehensible” and “unacceptable”. He said the Bruins were “free to put him under contract, as long as he plays elsewhere.”
In the Bruins locker room, there is one who had no intention of sitting idly by: the captain and undisputed leader of the team, Patrice Bergeron. Especially since he himself extended a few tens of thousands of dollars to support Quebec organizations fighting against racism.
“The culture here is against that kind of behavior. We are a team built on character, with people of character. What he did is unacceptable and we do not accept it. In this locker room, we stand for inclusion, diversity and respect.
“These are important words and it is at the heart of our values. We expect people who wear this jersey to be of the highest integrity. We hope it has grown and changed. If we see the same 14-year-old in this dressing room who committed these acts, he will not be welcome. »
Mitchell Miller’s agent tried to defend his client
Sunday morning, the player’s agent tried to calm the outcry. Eustace King posted a lengthy tweet in which he explains why he agreed to represent Miller. King, one of the very few African-American agents in the NHL, said he understood “the seriousness of the situation” and “the strong emotions aroused by the disclosure of Mr. Miller’s past actions”.
King then listed the initiatives taken by his client to redeem himself, naming a dozen organizations or causes for which he was involved or committed to doing so.
However, the questions soon followed. In the release, Eustace King cites the Carnegie Initiative as one of the organizations he and Mitchell Miller have “committed to working with” and “met.” However, at the start of the evening on Sunday, the Carnegie Initiative distanced itself from these remarks.
“We have been contacted to work with Mitchell,” read the statement, emailed to The Press in response to an interview request. This is one of the many requests we receive to help make hockey more inclusive. To be clear, we did not work with Mitchell Miller. That said, we encourage everyone involved to have direct and difficult conversations in order to find a positive path of healing for the future. »
Chanté Eastmond, director of administration for Hockey Equality, told The Press that Miller had not worked directly with his organization, but that the player’s agency “especially wanted guidelines in order to establish a plan”, she explains on the phone. She had wanted to defend the young man and his approach.
“To say that it was only done because the Court ordered him to and the NHL wanted him to do it seems unfair to me. Honestly, a young person doesn’t really know what to do in such a situation, and that’s why they need direction.
“The young person undergoes a process of rehabilitation. Let’s try that, instead of advocating the culture of banishment. His agency tries to help him and we support the idea of guiding a person to become better. »
For her part, the mother of Miller’s victim, Joni Meyer-Crothers, told The Athletic being “totally taken aback” by the news.
“We want Mitchell to get all the help he needs because he needs help too,” the mother continued. We are not against that at all. But playing hockey is a privilege. Maybe he should have been re-evaluated for hockey only after he was actually rehabilitated and after he understood the extent of what he did to our son. »