Oct 30, 2020
Miller no longer a part of UND hockey team
One day after the Arizona Coyotes renounced his rights, the University of North Dakota announced Friday that Mitchell Miller is longer a part of the school's hockey team. UND president Andrew Armacost wrote in a letter that Miller, who is a freshman, is welcome to remain a student at the university.
TSN.ca Staff
One day after the Arizona Coyotes renounced his rights, the University of North Dakota announced Friday that Mitchell Miller is longer a part of the school's hockey team.
UND president Andrew Armacost wrote in a letter that Miller, who is a freshman, is welcome to remain a student at the university.
"I have been closely monitoring the situation concerning Men’s Hockey student-athlete Mitchell Miller, who was involved in a situation as a youth in 2016," Armacost wrote in the letter. "We expect our students to live by our values in the classroom, in the community and when representing the University on the field of play.
"After much consideration and discussions with Mitchell, the Miller family, our Athletics Director, Bill Chaves, and Coach Brad Berry, I have decided that the best course of action for Mitchell and the University is that he no longer be a member of the UND Men’s Hockey program. Mitchell may remain a student at UND and we will continue to support his future intellectual and interpersonal growth.
"We wish Mitchell well in whatever path he chooses in his future endeavors."
The news comes four days after a story published by Craig Harris and Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic revealed that Miller and another teen were charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act for bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with developmental disabilities, in 2016.
The Coyotes, who selected Miller in the fourth round (111th overall) of the draft on Oct. 7, responded to the report with a statement from team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez saying that would work with Miller “to confront bullying and racism.”
The franchise then changed direction on Thursday.
"We have decided to renounce the rights to Mitchell Miller, effective immediately," said Gutierrez in a statement. "Prior to selecting Mitchell in the NHL Draft, we were aware that a bullying incident took place in 2016. We do not condone this type of behaviour but embraced this as a teachable moment to work with Mitchell to make him accountable for his actions and provide him with an opportunity to be a leader on anti-bullying and anti-racism efforts. We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights.
“On behalf of the Arizona Coyotes ownership and our entire organization, I would like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. We are building a model franchise on and off the ice and will do the right thing for Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family, our fans and our partners. Mr. Miller is now a free agent and can pursue his dream of becoming an NHL player elsewhere.”