Mitchell Miller’s victim’s mother reacts to his signing with Boston

The Boston Bruins are getting a lot of heat for their latest signing. Earlier on Friday, the Bruins announced that they have signed defenseman Mitchell Miller to a three-year NHL entry-level contract.

In 2020, the Coyotes renounced the rights to Miller, who was their top draft pick that summer after news emerged he had assaulted, bullied and abused a Black classmate with a learning disability, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. A day later, the University of North Dakota dropped Miller from its program. He did not play hockey during the 2020-21 season. Miller was charged with assault and a violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act in February of 2016 after he and another student admitted to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with a learning disability. Part of that bullying included wiping a piece of candy in a urinal and then tricking Meyer-Crothers into consuming it.

Miller posted a statement about the situation when the announcement was made.

“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, | 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 | pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others.”

When the Bruins made the announcement of Miller’s signing, Guy Flaming reached out to Isaiah Meyer-Crothers’ mother, who reacted to the news with genuine concern.

In a team statement, Bruins president Cam Neely said Miller spent time working with Boston’s hockey operations and community relations groups.

“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.”

GM Don Sweeney also commented on the team’s decision to add Miller to the franchise. Meyer-Crothers’ mother did know the Bruins were even linked to Miller and how “talent trumps” what the victim experienced…