Bettman: Bruins’ Mitchell Miller Won’t Play in NHL Until Bullying Conviction Probed

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday that Mitchell Miller isn’t eligible to play in the league despite signing an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins on Friday.

Bettman said the league wasn’t consulted before Miller’s signing was announced, something he’s since discussed with Bruins president Cam Neely, and noted the NHL would have to conduct a full investigation into a previous assault conviction against Miller if the team wanted to promote him from the minor leagues:

The commissioner added Miller’s ability to play with the Providence Bruins, the club’s top affiliate, rests in the hands of the American Hockey League.

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

On Saturday, the AHL released a statement to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic saying Miller’s eligibility is under review by league president Scott Howson.

Both Miller and Neely described the situation as a one-off incident when the 20-year-old defenseman was 14 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, 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.”

Neely said the organization spent time with Miller in an attempt to better understand the situation before deciding to move forward with the signing.

“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.”

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the franchise didn’t reach out to the victim’s family as part of its process, though.

Meyer-Crothers previously described a pattern of assault, bullying and the use of racist terms, including “brownie” and the N-word, by Miller while they were classmates, an account verified by other students, according to the Arizona Republic.

“He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn’t want to do,” Meyer-Crothers said. “In junior high, I got beat up by him. … Everyone thinks he’s so cool that he gets to go to the NHL, but I don’t see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life.”

In one instance, Miller and another student allegedly wiped a piece of candy on a urinal before tricking Meyer-Crothers into licking it.

The student’s mother said the apology referenced by Miller in his statement came via Snapchat and he suggested it wasn’t motivated by hockey, per NBC10’s Malcolm Johnson and Marc Fortier.

“Well, it has everything to do with hockey,” she said.

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Miller’s actions go “against what we are as a culture and as a team:”

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

“I don’t think any guy was too happy,” Foligno said Saturday.

The Bruins’ next game is scheduled for Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.