Cam Neely admits Boston Bruins should have 'dug deeper' before signing Mitchell Miller
BOSTON -- Boston Bruins president Cam Neely addressed the media on Monday morning, one day after the organization cut ties with controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller.
Neely expressed dismay that the Bruins did not speak to the family of Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, the boy who was subjected to Miller's bullying in middle school.
"The fact that we didn't talk to the family is concerning to me," Neely said.
Neely later added, "I want to apologize to Isaiah and his family. It's something that they shouldn't continue to go through."
The Bruins signed Miller on Friday, giving him the maximum AHL salary. The move was met with immediate backlash from fans and media, as well as from Joni Meyer-Crothers, who said that Miller never apologized to her son for the bullying that led to his conviction in an Ohio juvenile court in 2016.
An Arizona Republic story in 2020 detailed Miller's actions, which included tricking his developmentally disabled classmate into licking a piece of candy that had been wiped in a urinal.
Neely seemed to suggest that while the Bruins were aware of the middle school behavior of Miller, they did not properly research what he's done in recent years to earn a shot to play pro hockey.
"I believe in second chances," Neely said, "but maybe this was the wrong time to do it."
On Saturday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that the Bruins did not consult with him before making the signing before saying that Miller is not currently eligible to play in the NHL and might never be allowed to play in the NHL. Additionally, reports indicated that Miller might not have been allowed to play in the AHL. Neely relayed the information on Monday that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney did contact NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly last week prior to the signing, with the understanding that Miller would have to present his case for eligibility in front of Bettman if he were to reach the NHL level.
The team then announced on Sunday night that it was "parting ways" with Miller, citing "new information" that had come to light.
Neely said on Monday that he expected pushback, but that the response was stronger than he anticipated.
"Well initially, I was I was thinking it was going to be, 'OK, this kid deserves a second chance,'" Neely said. "And, you know, I thought there would be some people that were going to be upset about it, but to the extent of this, I misread that."
Neely explained that the team did meet with Miller, his mother, and his agent, but ultimately that was not enough in terms of gaining the full scope of the situation.
"I felt that he was remorseful, I felt that he had changed, and I felt that at that particular time, a second chance was warranted," Neely explained. "For me, we didn't have enough information. We could've dug deeper."
Neely added: "Well, it was a combination of everything. Certainly, our fan base being upset, and rightfully so. And for me it was not worth putting the organization through this any longer."
In a statement to WBZ-TV, Joni Meyer-Crothers expressed a hope for Miller to better himself, as well as expressing gratitude to Bruins players like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Nick Foligno, who spoke out against the signing.
"We want nothing more than Mitchell to get the help he needs to understand the magnitude of the years of abuse to Isaiah. To grow from that and self reflect. We want Isaiah to be able to heal from this and lead a productive life," Joni Meyer-Crothers told WBZ-TV Monday. "[The Bruins players] gave [Isaiah] some peace. We know it wasn't easy on them either to have to answer questions. What we all need to remember is Isaiah is the victim here."
Bruins players said Monday they were glad management listened to them and cut ties with Miller. Patrice Bergeron said that nearly everyone in the Bruins locker room was opposed to the signing.
"In a way, yes. Like anything, it's not like everyone had something to say. But the general opinion was that," said Bergeron. "I'm glad that we were heard, I guess."
On Friday, Sweeney said that the Bruins spent six to 12 months doing background research on Miller. Neely said Monday that he's not sure why or how the victim's family was not contacted at all during that process.
"I'm disappointed that we're in this position," Neely said. "We shouldn't be in this position. So, we could've done a better job. We should've done a better job."
Neely was also asked about the damage done to the Bruins' reputation over the weekend.
"Well obviously, it's a concern," Neely said. "We like to take pride in what we do in the community and how we hold ourselves accountable. And we dropped the ball, and I'm here to apologize for that."
