Mitchell Miller - Renounced Coyotes' Pick - Signs Entry Level Contract with NHL Club
Mitchell Miller, a 2020 111th overall draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes, has signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins:
Miller's draft selection was renounced by the Coyotes after a story in which he and another teen viciously bullied an intellectually disabled classmate. Miller and the other individual were charged in juvenile court for abusing Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, using racial slurs and forcing him to lick a lollipop they smeared inside of a bathroom urinal.
The Coyotes renounced the pick in consult with the victim's family after they told the organization Miller had not yet apologized. This, in tandem with the heinousness of the events, led the Coyotes to forfeit the pick, making Miller a free agent. Miller was also released from the North Dakota men's hockey team and has not been rostered yet this season.
In 104 USHL games with the Tri-City Storm, Miller scored 116 points from the blue-line. Clearly, the 21-year old has talent and could be a useful player for the Bruins, but that is simply not a good enough answer from some folks. To say the response to this news would be an understatement.
7 years removed from the incident, Miller released a joint statement with the Bruins:
"When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely," said Miller. "I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual.
Since the incident. I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago. I strive to be a better person and positively contribute to society.
As a member of the Bruins organization, I will continue to participate in community programs to both educate myself and share my mistakes with others to show what a negative impact those actions can have on others. To be clear. what I did when I was 14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in this world for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others."
"When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely," said Miller. "I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual.
Since the incident. I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago. I strive to be a better person and positively contribute to society.
As a member of the Bruins organization, I will continue to participate in community programs to both educate myself and share my mistakes with others to show what a negative impact those actions can have on others. To be clear. what I did when I was 14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in this world for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others."
It appears as thought Miller will report to the AHL to start, as the Bruins' defensive depth is insane right now. But perhaps they are able to develop him into an NHL role before long. How this speaks to the social aspect of the situation, well, you need not get overly creative to figure out how the internet reacted.
All I can say is, I hope Mille is seriously committed to being a better person, and it would be much more digestible had he reached out to make amends with Meyer-Crothers, as well as other acts of reflection. Playing in any professional sports league is a privilege, and behavior such as Mitchell's is simply unacceptable on a societal level.
The Bruins reportedly took their time with this decision, ensuring that the player was taking his journey seriously and focused on making amends.
Meyer-Crothers' mother was contacted, asking if they had received any apology. These are screenshot of that conversation, courtesy of Guy Flaming:
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 4 | 304 ANSWERS Mitchell Miller - Renounced Coyotes' Pick - Signs Entry Level Contract with NHL Club Did the Bruins make the wrong decision in signing Miller? | ||
| Yes, classless decision | 113 | 37.2 % |
| No, people change | 101 | 33.2 % |
| Indifferent | 51 | 16.8 % |
| See Results | 39 | 12.8 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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