Bettman: Bruins' Mitchell Miller Won't Play in NHL Until Bullying Conviction Probed (2024)

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saidSaturday that Mitchell Miller isn't eligible to play in the leaguedespite signing an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins onFriday.

Bettman said the league wasn'tconsulted before Miller's signing was announced, somethinghe's since discussed with Bruins president Cam Neely, and noted theNHL would have to conduct a full investigation into a previous assault conviction against Miller if the team wanted topromote him from the minor leagues:

The commissioner added Miller's abilityto play with the Providence Bruins, the club's top affiliate, restsin the hands of the American Hockey League.

Miller was a fourth-round pick of theArizona Coyotes in the 2020 draft. The Coyotes renounced his rightsin October 2020 after the Arizona Republic reported details from a 2016 conviction of assaulting and bullying a Black classmatewith developmental disabilities in Ohio as a juvenile.

On Saturday, the AHL released astatement to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic saying Miller's eligibilityis under review by league president Scott Howson.

Both Miller and Neely described thesituation as a one-off incident when the 20-year-old defenseman was14 years old in statements released in coordination with the signing, which contrasts comments by Isaiah Meyer-Crothers and his mother, Joni Meyer-Crothers.

"When I was in eighth grade, Imade an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely,"Miller said. "I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regretthe incident and have apologized to the individual. Since theincident, I have come to better understand the far-reachingconsequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understandnearly seven years ago. I strive to be a better person and positivelycontribute to society. As a member of the Bruins organization, I willcontinue to participate in community programs to both educate myselfand share my mistakes with others to show what a negative impactthose actions can have on others. To be clear, what I did when I was14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in thisworld for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use thisopportunity to speak out against mistreating others."

Neely said the organization spent timewith Miller in an attempt to better understand the situation beforedeciding to move forward with the signing.

"Representing the Boston Bruins isa privilege we take seriously as an organization," Neely said."Respect and integrity are foundational character traits weexpect of our players and staff. Prior to signing Mitchell, ourHockey Operations and Community Relations groups spent time with himover the last few weeks to better understand who he is as anindividual and learn more about a significant mistake he made when hewas in middle school. During this evaluation period, Mitchell wasaccountable for his unacceptable behavior and demonstrated hiscommitment to work with multiple organizations and professionals tofurther his education and use his mistake as a teachable moment forothers. The expectation is that he will continue this importanteducational work with personal development and community programs asa member of the Bruins organization."

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney saidthe franchise didn't reach out to the victim's family as partof its process, though.

Meyer-Crothers previously described apattern of assault, bullying and the use of racist terms, including"brownie" and the N-word, by Miller while they wereclassmates, an account verified by other students, according to theArizona Republic.

"He pretended to be my friend andmade me do things I didn't want to do," Meyer-Crothers said. "Injunior high, I got beat up by him. ... Everyone thinks he's so coolthat he gets to go to the NHL, but I don't see how someone can becool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life."

In one instance, Miller and anotherstudent allegedly wiped a piece of candy on a urinal before trickingMeyer-Crothers into licking it.

The student's mother said the apologyreferenced by Miller in his statement came via Snapchat and he suggestedit wasn't motivated by hockey, per NBC10's Malcolm Johnson and MarcFortier.

"Well, it has everything to do withhockey," she said.

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron toldSportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Miller's actions go "againstwhat we are as a culture and as a team:"

Boston forward Nick Foligno addedmembers of the team were caught off guard by the signing.

"I don't think any guy was toohappy," Foligno said Saturday.

The Bruins' next game is scheduled forSaturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.