The Bruins announced on Friday that they have signed defenseman Mitchell Miller, who in 2016 admitted to an ugly case of bullying and had his draft rights renounced by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020 after more details about the incident came out.
In 2016, a then-14-year-old Miller and a classmate admitted in an Ohio juvenile court to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. According to an investigation by The Arizona Republic, Miller repeatedly taunted Meyer-Crothers with racial slurs, hit him, and tricked Meyer-Crothers “into licking a candy push pop that Miller and another boy had wiped in a bathroom urinal.”
After the Coyotes drafted Miller in the fourth round in the 2020 NHL Draft, Meyer-Crothers told The Arizona Republic that Miller had never apologized to him in the four years since the bullying incident. The Coyotes faced widespread backlash after the pick and wound up renouncing Mitchell’s draft rights less than a month later. Miller was also dropped from the University of North Dakota hockey team after those details had come to light.
Miller, now 20, did not play at all during the 2020-21 season. Last season, he played for the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League and was named the USHL Player of the Year after ranking third in the league in scoring and first among defensemen with 39 goals and 44 assists in 60 games.
In a statement released through the Bruins, Miller said he has since apologized to Meyer-Crothers.
"When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely," Miller said. "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."
Bruins president Cam Neely said the organization spent several weeks with Miller “to better understand who he is as an individual and learn more about a significant mistake he made when he was in middle school.”
"Representing the Boston Bruins is a privilege we take seriously as an organization," Neely said. "Respect and integrity are foundational character traits we expect of our players and staff. Prior to signing Mitchell, our Hockey Operations and Community Relations groups spent time with him over the last few weeks to better understand who he is as an individual and learn more about a significant mistake he made when he was in middle school. During this evaluation period, Mitchell was accountable for his unacceptable behavior and demonstrated his commitment to work with multiple organizations and professionals to further his education and use his mistake as a teachable moment for others. The expectation is that he will continue this important educational work with personal development and community programs as a member of the Bruins organization."
Miller was set to report to the AHL Providence Bruins on Friday.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney met with reporters via Zoom on Friday afternoon to answer questions about the signing. This story will be updated with quotes from Sweeney shortly.
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