A disturbing video has made the rounds on social media, one that allegedly shows Carson Briere, a junior forward on the Mercyhurst University hockey team, rolling a wheelchair down a flight of stairs. The wheelchair apparently belonged to a disabled student, who had to be “physically carried” to the bathroom located downstairs. The security footage is timestamped Saturday, March 11, at 11:37 PM ET.
Briere’s father, Daniel Briere, played 16 seasons in the NHL, most notably for the Flyers, who he led to a Stanley Cup appearance in 2010. Briere remains in the Flyers’ front office, recently taking over as interim general manager for Chuck Fletcher, who was relieved of his duties last week.
Briere, who contributed five goals and eight assists in 30 games this season (the Lakers bowed out to RIT in the AHA playoffs earlier this month), was previously dismissed from the team at Arizona State, transferring to Mercyhurst as a result of, by his own admission, “too much partying.” If the person in the video is indeed Briere (distinguishable by his white baseball cap), it’s hard to imagine him surviving this incident without consequence, potentially looking at thousands of dollars in property damage.
Though some might try to dismiss this as a drunken mistake made by an immature college student, Briere—assuming this is him—should know better, particularly after blowing his opportunity at ASU years earlier. Cruelty of this kind demands accountability, with many on Twitter lamenting such blatant disrespect for the handicap community.
We’ll see how the team and university respond, though this is about the last thing Briere’s father needed, weathering a family controversy days after being promoted to a demanding position as Philadelphia’s top executive.
UPDATE: Mercyhurst says the matter is being investigated by its Office of Student Conduct along with the school's Department of Police and Safety.
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