Friedman Coyotes Renounce Rights to Controversial Draft Pick, Mitchell Miller

[Phil]

Link:

 

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For anyone who hasn't been following the story so far:

 

Joni Meyer-Crothers considered writing a letter and sending it to all 31 teams in the weeks leading up to this year’s NHL Draft. Meyers-Crothers, a foster mother to 57 kids over the last seven years, wanted the league’s general managers and scouting directors to know what Mitchell Miller, a highly rated defenseman, had done to her adopted son, Isaiah.

 

In 2016, Miller and another eighth-grader were convicted in an Ohio juvenile court of bullying and abusing Isaiah, a Black, developmentally disabled classmate at a junior high school in Sylvania, Ohio, just outside Toledo.

 

The incident, described in detail in a police report obtained by The Athletic and first reported by The Arizona Republic, is difficult to read. The worst of it: Miller and a classmate, Hunter R. McKie, rubbed a candy push-pop inside a urinal at the school during a girls basketball game and enticed Isaiah Meyer-Crothers to put it in his mouth, nearly falling over with laughter when he did.

 

Both Miller and McKie were punished by the school with suspensions; Miller’s punishment was greater, per the report, because he lied repeatedly to school administrators, who confirmed the reports of other students by using the school’s security cameras.

 

Meyer-Crothers said the abuse by Miller started in second grade and involved repeated racial slurs, such as calling her son a “n—–” and by telling him to “go pick cotton,” among other racist comments.

 

Miller’s past was not a secret — it was reported on at the time by the Toledo Blade — and it quickly surfaced when NHL teams did even rudimentary background checks before the draft. At least 10 NHL clubs took Miller off their draft lists.

 

Hoping to fend off a tumble down the draft board, Miller, now a freshman at the University of North Dakota, provided all 31 teams with a letter of apology, saying he had “extreme regret” for the incidents and that he had changed. He also included “character references” from several hockey coaches and his USHL billet family.

 

The letter, obtained by The Athletic, consisted of two lengthy paragraphs that painted his juvenile conviction as a life-changing event. There have been no further incidents, Miller said, adding that he’d had counseling, attended cultural diversity classes and had volunteered with physically disabled children.

 

“My family, coaches, friends, and teammates have helped me to mature and become someone who is not defined by this mistake, but has accepted it and now make (sic) choices to be a better person than I was when I was a kid,” the letter read. “I’m a different person than I was four years ago and I am thankful to have learned a very painful and valuable lesson.”

 

But it didn’t convince some clubs. Others arranged Zoom calls with Miller that left them feeling unconvinced of his remorse.

 

https://theathletic.com/2162185/2020/10/27/arizona-coyotes-mitchell-miller-bullying-nhl/

[siddious]

Kid is probably getting exactly what he deserves and hopefully it changes him in a real way. 14 or not, the kid clearly has some issues.

 

But the yotes... what disaster.

 

 

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[josh]

Kid is probably getting exactly what he deserves and hopefully it changes him in a real way. 14 or not, the kid clearly has some issues.

 

But the yotes... what disaster.

 

 

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He'll turn out like "woke" Danny Carcillo in a few years.

[Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc]

What changed their minds? They obviously knew about it before drafting him?

[Phil]

What changed their minds? They obviously knew about it before drafting him?

 

The PR nightmare this has grown into?

[Phil]

He'll turn out like "woke" Danny Carcillo in a few years.

 

Better than "racist" Danny Carcillo.

[josh]

Better than "racist" Danny Carcillo.

 

You dont think he was making teammates eat/drink out of the toilet in juniors? Of course he was, and much worse.

 

Work with kids.

 

We all did really stupid shit - maybe not this, but I'm sure we've all done/said something that could get us canceled. Fuck, we all watched bum fights, the Tom Green show, Borat, etc. We forgive athletes (among other celebs) that kill, rape, abuse, beat, whatever. A kid was a douche kid years ago? Fuck him! Society has no bail, and murders walk the streets. But when its a kid, people have no perspective.

[josh]

What changed their minds? They obviously knew about it before drafting him?

 

Cancel Culture. It's all the rage.

 

Don't actually address the problem. Just cancel the person.

[Kevin]

I'm torn on this. It's horrible what this kid did when he was young but how long does the punishment go for? Does this kid ever get another chance at life? Is there no point in the rehabilitation process?

[jsm7302]

Amazing. The transgressions of a fourteen year old will redirect the outcome of this young man's life. Is the Criminal Justice system not about reforming and redirecting individuals to become contributing societal members?

 

His talent should be pushed aside and ignored because he made a poor peer pressured choice as a young teen? You guys are tough.

 

I'm all for second chances and supporting positive change in people.

 

Is this the new normal? Make a mistake and lest it never be forgiven and forgotten but instead let you never live it down. Im out.

[Dunny]

It's one thing to pass on the kid based on your interviews, due diligence, etc. They had the whole story at the time and made their decision.

 

It's entirely another to do that vetting, and then bail in the face of any adversity.

[siddious]

Amazing. The transgressions of a fourteen year old will redirect the outcome of this young man's life. Is the Criminal Justice system not about reforming and redirecting individuals to become contributing societal members?

 

His talent should be pushed aside and ignored because he made a poor peer pressured choice as a young teen? You guys are tough.

 

I'm all for second chances and supporting positive change in people.

 

Is this the new normal? Make a mistake and lest it never be forgiven and forgotten but instead let you never live it down. Im out.

 

Did you read the article? He hasn?t even apologized to the kid. The judge at his hearing didn?t believe he showed enough remorse either.

 

And it wasn?t an isolated event, he has a history of doing this kind of stuff.

 

I don?t know if dropping him was the right thing but I do think a precedent should be set to ensure that things like this aren?t going to be accepted/tolerated just because someone has skill.

 

 

 

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[phillyb]

Good for the Yotes. This was no isolated incident, this was years of bullying and tormeting a mentally disabled black kid.

Fuck Mitchell.

 

To address the question of reformation - I do indeed suggest you to read more about these incidents. As Nasthy put it, the kid showed no remorse and hasn't even apologized to Meyer-Crothers, whereas I believe one of the other bullies has.

[Morphinity 2.0]

The mother of the victim said Miller still hasn't apologized to her son and the judge at the hearing said Miller did not seem to be remorseful at all - not to mention that he was continuing to bully the kid as recently as two years ago (after the incident that landed him in court.) Meanwhile, Miller's accomplice apologized to the victim and the family has forgiven them.

 

 

That says a helluva lot to me.

 

I'm honestly baffled by some of the shit I'm reading here. Some of you are all up in arms acting like this kid is getting railroaded when he has done nothing to actually deserve the second chance you're crying for. Put the fucking pitchforks down and actually READ.

[ThirtyONE]

Can't cry about "cancel culture" if you didn't read about what this kid did. Borderline psychopath behavior.

 

Sometimes when you fuck up as a kid it has consequences in adulthood. And to call this kids being kids is delusional. It's been an ongoing issue for years, not a one time offense. A kid I knew in high school killed someone while drunk driving. Guess what, that effects his adult life now. If you're a piece of shit, there are consequences.

 

Not surprised this was the end result.

[BrooksBurner]

Imagine all of the "holier than though" folks here being denied a career because of what you said as a 14-15 year old.

[BrooksBurner]

Can't cry about "cancel culture" if you didn't read about what this kid did. Borderline psychopath behavior.

 

Sometimes when you fuck up as a kid it has consequences in adulthood. And to call this kids being kids is delusional. It's been an ongoing issue for years, not a one time offense. A kid I knew in high school killed someone while drunk driving. Guess what, that effects his adult life now. If you're a piece of shit, there are consequences.

 

Not surprised this was the end result.

 

Killing someone while drunk driving is totally in the same ballpark as verbal abuse.

[phillyb]

Killing someone while drunk driving is totally in the same ballpark as verbal abuse.

 

READ. THE. FUCKING. ARTICLES.

This goes beyond verbal abuse.

[Phil]

This isn't "bullying," either. They're fucking hate crimes. If he wasn't a juvenile, he'd be in prison.

 

 

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[ThirtyONE]

Killing someone while drunk driving is totally in the same ballpark as verbal abuse.

 

Either you didn't read what happened or you're purposely downplaying it to make some kind of point.

 

If it's the latter, make your point.

[siddious]

Imagine all of the "holier than though" folks here being denied a career because of what you said as a 14-15 year old.

 

I?d venture to guess most people don?t relentlessly harrass mentally disabled kids for prolonged periods of time with racial slurs and by making them eat things out of the toilet without showing any remorse.

 

-Edited not to incite anything

 

 

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[SaveByRichter35]

Yea, this is bad. Fuck this kid.

[Pete]

This isn't "bullying," either. They're fucking hate crimes. If he wasn't a juvenile, he'd be in prison.

 

 

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I mean, I don't have a huge issue with them renouncing the pick, but the fact is that he was a juvenile and those records are sealed, for this reason.

 

On a slight tangent, Ray Lewis is a murderer and Peyton Manning a rapist IIRC, all older than this kid...Amazing to me that they went on to win SB and this guy can't even crack the league.

[josh]

Can't cry about "cancel culture" if you didn't read about what this kid did. Borderline psychopath behavior.

 

Sometimes when you fuck up as a kid it has consequences in adulthood. And to call this kids being kids is delusional. It's been an ongoing issue for years, not a one time offense. A kid I knew in high school killed someone while drunk driving. Guess what, that effects his adult life now. If you're a piece of shit, there are consequences.

 

Not surprised this was the end result.

 

Listen, I'm fine with locking all mother fuckers up for life when they do shit. But we dont.

 

The same group trashing this kid were pumping the NYS no-bail law letting domestic abusers go back to their victim 30 minutes later.

[ThirtyONE]

Listen, I'm fine with locking all mother fuckers up for life when they do shit. But we dont.

 

The same group trashing this kid were pumping the NYS no-bail law letting domestic abusers go back to their victim 30 minutes later.

 

I have no idea what this even is...

 

But I'm certainly not gonna be upset that some asshole (who probably wasn't making the NHL anyway) isn't getting a shot. Sorry buddy, ya blew it when you forced a disabled black kid eat a urinal cake out of a toilet. You can't be a public figure now. That's how it goes.