‘Mitchell isn’t my friend’: Victim of Bruins signee Mitchell Miller’s bullying incidents speaks out

Isaiah Meyer-Crothers released a statement Wednesday discussing the extent of the bullying he suffered at the hands of recent Bruins signee Mitchell Miller.

Through the Hockey Diversity Alliance, Meyer-Crothers stated that Miller’s alleged pattern of racial abuse was an extended saga that lasted throughout their schooling together.

“When I went to junior high Mitchell would spit in my face and call me a N-word. I had stopped telling because they called me a snitch and I would get made fun of. I had to say I was “his n----- to sit at his table and he made me clean the whole table. He threw food in my face,” said Meyer-Crothers through HDA’s Twitter account. “He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn’t want to do.”

On Sunday the Bruins announced they would be parting ways with Miller just two days after originally signing him.

Miller, originally a 2020 fourth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes, had his draft rights relinquished after a report by the Arizona Republic detailed Miller’s extensive bullying of Meyer-Crothers, who also has developmental disabilities. Included in the report was Miller’s admittance in juvenile court to an incident where the future NHL-draftee wiped a candy push pop in a bathroom urinal and forced the victim to lick it, causing the victim to be tested for hepatitis, HIV and STDs. Surveillance video also showed Miller and another teen kicking and punching the victim.

Team President Cam Neely said Sunday that the organization did not reach out to Meyer-Crothers or his family prior to signing Miller. In a Monday news conference, Neely said that the organization had failed in its decision to bring in Miller.

“We made a lot of people unhappy with our decision. I take pride in the Bruins organization and what we stand for. We failed there.” Neely said “From a hockey standpoint, the scouts think he’s a player that can play. From a character standpoint, that’s where we failed.”

In an interview with Boston 25 News last week, the victim’s mother, Joni Meyer, said that Miller reached out to the family through Snapchat and said the apology was not motivated by hockey. According to Isaiah, the apology was insincere.

“He asked me why I always have my parents doing stuff for me and why I can’t speak for myself,” said Meyer-Crothers. “He told me he was doing stuff in the community and helping the youth and wanted to be my friend. I told him ‘That’s all cool but where is the proof though?’ He didn’t give me any [proof].”

Neely initially stated Friday that the team did extensive background work on Miller prior to the signing, but he walked that claim back Monday, questioning the process of those who were tasked with vetting the player.

“The fact that we didn’t talk to the [victim’s] family is concerning,” Neely said, adding that he plans on reaching out on behalf of the organization. “I made it clear that we had to vet this out properly...I’m disappointed that we are in this position. We shouldn’t be in this position. We could have done a better job. We should have done a better job.”

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, who previously admitted to being ‘on the fence’ about the signing, seemed to imply Monday that the decision to release the defenseman was the best thing for the locker room.

“I think to stay true to my values, really. I think it’s what it comes down to,” said Bergeron. “I think it’s important sometimes to kind of stand up for what you think is wrong. And in that situation, again, it goes back to what we’ve built here as an organization, as a team, as a locker room is to be inclusive and a locker room of respect and integrity. So, yeah, I think it was just a matter of doing that.”

When the Bruins initially signed Miller, the USHL defenseman said he “deeply regretted the incident.”

“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,” Miller said in a statement through the Bruins.

According to Meyer-Crothers, he will meet any statement from Miller with skepticism.

“All the lies I have been told from him for so many years I don’t believe what Mitchell told me,” stated Meyer Crothers. “Mitchell isn’t my friend. It hurts my heart what he did to me.”

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