After much controversy surrounding the Boston Bruins decision to sign defensemen Mitchell Miller, they have decided to cut ties with the defensemen over his actions against a black classmate with developmental disabilities when Miller was 14 years old.

This isn’t the first time that Miller’s road to the National Hockey League has been blocked. When Miller was originally drafted in 2020 by the Arizona Coyotes, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers who was Miller’s former classmate, spoke out about the years of trauma and abuse that came from the hands of Miller and it all culminated in the Arizona Coyotes cutting ties just a few days later. 

The abuse that Meyer-Crothers endured ranged from racial slurs to being physically attacked. An incident in 2016 ended with police involvement and Miller getting convicted in court. The incident involved Miller and another boy forcing Meyer-Crothers to eat a piece of candy that was put inside a urinal; the boys also beat Meyer-Crothers. Miller and the other boy were charged with assault and for violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act and were ordered to complete 25 hours of community service, write apology letters, pay court costs, and undergo counseling. 

Mitchell Miller’s on ice actions are not controversial, unlike his off-ice actions. He was named the USHL’s player of the year in May, scoring 39 goals in 60 games for the Tri-City Storm, which is a record for a defensemen in the USHL. That’s the same month where the Storm’s president of hockey operations, Anthony Noreen, said that they were bringing Miller back because they had confidence in his character, saying that, “We believe in this kid.”

With Miller’s success, it set the table for the Boston Bruins to sign him to a 3 year entry level contract. Just a couple of hours later, there were many criticisms inside the Bruins organization and in the NHL. That caused the Bruins to “rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins,” just two days later. Even the NHL Commissioner made comments about the incident by saying, “He’s not coming into the NHL. He’s not eligible at this point to come into the NHL”

Miller issued a statement that mentioned his troubled past. Miller said, “When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely. I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual.” Recently, Miller said that he’s gained more knowledge about the many consequences of bullying and has vowed to work with community centers that’ll not only educate himself, but others as well.