Thank you for doing this article. I know you did not have to but I appreciate you giving the kid a second chance to explain himself. I know for sure that I did some horrible things back from 5th grade through high school. When I look back on them I am not proud of what I did but I am a different person now then I was back then. And I think that is the thing that we all need to remember. You do mature as you age. Some mature much faster than others and that allows them to maybe not go down those darker paths. I am all for giving the kid a second chance. As I said I did some regrettable things when I was younger as I am sure many of us did. I am a much different person now than I was back then. And now in my fifties I would say I have changed since I was in my thirties. You can only hope that we all grow and learn as we get older.
I'm not saying this is your point, but I do not agree with those who say he shouldn't be held accountable for something he did when he was 14. Most 14-year-olds know not to do what he did. They know right from wrong. There is no defending what he did, but do we allow people to move forward from such actions and what are the conditions set to move forward?
He has to take those necessary steps, but how do we judge when he has? Are we even open to allowing for that? I do feel that too much of the American focus is on continued punishment, and not rehabilitation from heinous acts. But again, rehabilitation must start with Mitchell Miller's actions.
Murderer’s and rapists are allowed out of prisons. If we didn’t believe in second or multiple chances as a society then that would never happen. According to him and his family he has been doing those rehabilitations since the event. Just because he doesn’t announce it on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean he’s not doing anything. He seems sincere. Hopefully everyone involved can move on.
He was held accountable in court and after it. He fulfilled that obligation. The mob mentality of the keyboard warriors believed he deserved even more punishment than a judge, a school, his parents, and his community had passed upon him already. Those folks must be amazing superheros who never wronged at all. Perfect people.... hypocrits
To me the victim’s family is setting themselves up for a lawsuit. Clear defamation . Ruined a career with a nhl minimum salary of 900k a year+ .He can very easily prove that he did everything the Court asked of him and more. Why isn’t the family going after the other kid? Shared the same sentence. I would hit them with a huge lawsuit.
This is a bad take. It's not defamation to point out facts that every party agrees actually occurred. Defamation is when you lie or tear down someone's character wrongfully or inaccurately. There is no slander or libel here.
The victim's family did not "ruin a career." Mitchell's _actions_ did that. These are what we know as "consequences." And consequences can extend beyond what the court has ordered. Your lawsuit would be summarily dismissed as completely ridiculous.
Once again, the victim's family merely pointed out the facts as they occurred. The NHL interpreted that the optics wouldn't be great. This isn't the NFL.
ok, your probably right. Does the suit force the victims family to stop the harassment? This was a young offender who completed everything that was required from the laws that governed where he lives. He is still being punished publicly. Does the other boy who was also charged receiving the same fury? No he isn't, ask yourself why? The victim's mother has not stopped denying receiving the apology which has created a huge wave of sympathy from trolls and people who don't know all the facts. This was a court mandated step that he had to complete, along with his community service. His family continues to get attacked. Check her Twitter @freetastesgood. If you have kids, and knowing how this went down because I live in the community, this keeps you up at night! Could easily be any kid in school today. Enough is Enough!
Now comparing him to a rapist on twitter. Still feel the same way? The Millers aren't spewing this stuff she is. She continues to add fuel to the fire and the Miller's can't defend themselves.
All Miller needs to do now is look to the kid who 2as bullied by CNN, MSNBC, and all the other media during the election where they tried to defame and ruin him (I forget his name) but he has already settled several suits and more are on the way and going to court.
To be fair the family could be doing that to the other kid but perhaps it's not a story for the media? Who knows. I certainly do not
Craig, your own article shows this was just a dumb kid who made a mistake who got railroaded...your own words prove the Meyer-Crothers family lied about his actions.
With this logic there can be no one who can be released from jail. This kid has been pretty model citizen since this all happened it would appear. He was honest and forthright with every team at every level. I say let him play and give him a platform to help him push the message he has been helping with since the incident.
Thanks Craig, I know you and I didn't see eye to eye when the story first broke but I'm glad you took this chance to speak with him first hand. It's just a terrible situation all the way around and I really hope that everyone involved can truly heal; Especially the young man that was bullied. I doubt Miller will ever reach the levels of hockey he wanted to but hopefully he can be successful in helping other kids in situations like this on both sides.
Yes it should but somehow I doubt many of your media colleagues and their vocal tribes will allow it to happen. They bullied the kid plain and simple. He could have stayed in college playing and been drafted and the team could have had an opportunity to really help in that healing and put their muscle behind it. The league could have too but they caved to the mob.
Craig is taking a lot of heat on Twitter and other places for giving Miller a platform. Since everyone with limited information, an opinion and keyboard will always have their public platform, I have no problem with Craig, under his strict conditions, giving Miller an opportunity to speak for himself.
As someone who was bullied and to be honest, bullied others back in the late 60's and early 70's, I'm not sure I feel qualified to offer thoughts and opinions on this current day situation. I know how I was affected and I was told years ago how what we did affected others. But, everyone moved on and we live out our lives reasonably normally
Todays world makes bullying more unacceptable and that's a good thing Todays people also seem to let things affect them more or so it seems to me. Maybe that's not true, its just my perception of the new world an old guy lives in. I'm struggling with how much punishment is enough or is there ever enough and when should a victim be able to move past it? Probably best I stop here and just be silent and read the other responses.
Great write, though Craig, Last thing I expected to see from you. :-)
To note...sensitivity levels about this largely hasn't really changed in younger generations. The difference is the internet. The internet has provided a platform for the bullied to actually tell their story. And any time a story is told, it will get a reaction. The internet provides a much larger platform, and gives everyone a voice...whether they are truthful or not, the internet is unbiased like that.
The internet gives people a platform to speak about social issues that didn't used to exist.
After rereading my comment, I think my point on that front was a bit convoluted. My goal was to say mostly that unlike in the past, we actually see the impacts of the bullied. It always existed, but unlike when the news was limited to newspaper, 30 minutes to an hour of TV, or random radio reports, the internet gives us exposure to these things. The internet also removes tone. What one person may be sarcastically joking about, another person may perceive as crying and whining.
Hmm, I can accept that. In the past, everyone did their soul searching, crying, apologizing, boxing in the school gym at the gym teachers order, etc and for the most part moved on. Now, with the internet and the 24 hour news cycle and very biased news organizations, we have professional victims who crop up and keep a story going way past where a situation should have been settled, worked out, shaken hands, apologized, etc. And more often than not, the coverage supporting the professional victim can be one sided.
Not saying any of that applies here, I was not in the middle of this situation and don't feel qualified to give an opinion. I will keep it to myself this time.
I'm glad you decided to do this, well done. Redemption is a difficult path to tread and the first step is always admitting it's the path you need to follow.
It's hard to get a full grasp on sincerity without a face-to-face encounter, of course.
Thank you for this article. After reading what you wrote I went back and read the AZCentral to compare.
The mother mentioned several times that her son never received a non-court issued apology but she or the writer omits that there was a court order forbidding contact. Also, you obtained paperwork showing his community service as well as work will counselors.
You did a great job of setting the standard and using your craft to dig deeper on this issue to give a whole perspective.
I feel for the family and hope they can heal enough to move forward(it will not be easy). I hope as a human that Miller is in the process of getting is mind and heart right. IF he has made these improvements, I hope he gets a chance to play hockey at the highest level as he can an be an example of human growth.
(Not everyone believes in second chances but I do as long as it is earned.)
Should've known we could count on Craig to deliver the most in-depth account of this whole ordeal. It's tough to know how genuine some of Miller's actions are or whether they were at the behest of his agent. It's interesting that much of this work didn't see the light of day when this all first transpired.
I hope for everyone's sake that Mitchell and Isaiah do one day get a chance to discuss these things together. Restorative justice can do wonders for people and often, people are willing to let old transgressions go if met with a sincere apology (I actually just read an article yesterday of a woman who did this with her middle school peers 40 years after the fact and how transformative it was for everyone).
I've seen some people here questioning Miller's sincerity based on his apology letter. That's fair, but it also reads to me like something that may have actually been written by Miller and not something that was wordsmithed by his parents or agent. How many of us had the reflective skills we're asking of Miller when we were 18?
The thing that struck me was that he kept saying that he and Isaiah were friends before the incident. Having taught middle school, I can tell you that he probably honestly believes that There is a certain segment of kids (more boys when talking about physical stuff/pranks, about evenly split when it comes to words) who don't understand the line between teasing/joking/horseplay and bullying, and they don't understand the fallout when they cross it and face consequences.
To me, it sounds like he still has some maturity issues. It's not so much that he still kind of frames things in terms of how they affect him; 18-19 year olds, especially boys, are still adolescents, and they tend to still have an egocentric outlook on the world. But rather there is a a certain...tone to the language that he uses that tells me there is still a lot of growing up he needs to do, and a lot of work on empathy. Hopefully, he'll be able to accomplish that and become a solid member of society no matter what he ends up doing.
One note on the decision to do this article--I think you handled it well. I think making sure that he and his agent understood the conditions and warning the family of the victim were responsible actions to take. I already saw a couple people comment that they thought it was in the same vein as Larry Brooks' attempt to seemingly rehabilitate Tony DeAngelo's image, but I didn't get that sense at all from this.
"There is a certain segment of kids (more boys when talking about physical stuff/pranks, about evenly split when it comes to words) who don't understand the line between teasing/joking/horseplay and bullying"
As someone who has been on both sides of that line - I've been the bully, and I've been bullied - this is extremely true.
Guy friendships are full of 'ball busting' and teasing; teen years are where you find the line. Something in Millers life pushed his finding of the line out of wack; was it that he was good at hockey and so got away with more? something from his parents? I can't answer that.
He clearly has a lot of growing up and maturing to do; and I think professional hockey is not the place to do that.
Craig, Thank you for your objectivism in this piece it is much appreciated and far to rare in journalism these days. I will continue to subscribe to your writing for as long as you choose to keep writing.
Glad that you gave this situation a voice and that you were forthright with all parties involved. There are no easy roads for anyone directly involved, I wish them all well on their journeys.
There is still a glaring omission and one that I hope you someday have an opportunity to explore with the same level of objectivism. The Coyotes organization truly blundered and should have had a plan when making this draft pick. This points at a very immature and/or dysfunctional front office that should have been prepared. XG coming out days later with his proverbial pants down was pathetic. I would love to hear some contrition from the Coyotes on their very poor handling of this situation and what steps are being taken within the organization to mature.
I have been a fan since their very 1st game back in 96 and have painfully walked with this team for 25 years. We seem to be at yet another junction and I would love to start feeling that this franchise wants to succeed both on the ice and within the organization...
You're so right, Mark. Dare I say it, I actually felt bad for XG in this scenario, to be forced into finding some way to put a positive spin, a 'we support our Pack' vein, into an absolute disaster of a choice by the Hockey Ops crew -- likely Steve Sullivan, though I don't want to assume. I don't remember if Hofford was here or gone when it happened. To be sure, if XG or Ownership was anywhere near the selection of prospects in a 'normal' situation, I'd be concerned. So it looks bad on XG, but I don't think it's really his fault. And I, too, am curious on the behind-the-scenes Hockey Ops baggage that continues to be dealt with. Wish we could know more.
Yeah, hockey ops has been such a disappointment in this franchise so many times. Thanks for your reply, to clarify I was not blaming XG for this fuckery. His statement was required but so, so, so pathetic. Sullivan was the likeliest culprit for the blunder in the cast of characters. 'Colonel Sullivan in the Zoom call with the Bad Pick'. Wish this was a board game that could be put away sometimes.
Ah yes, but you know as well as I do that with all board games, all it takes is the persistence of one drunk uncle to drag it back out of the closet and ruin Thanksgiving.
We all love this team. It *seems* like the ship is turning. It's a slow, wind-logged, wave-lapped turn.....but a turn nevertheless. At the risk of mixing my metaphors, maybe we're finally chucking all the drunk uncles overboard.
There are certain words that he uses that sound very...I dunno if 'childish' is the word but you can tell he's still very young and immature. Not in a doubling down on his actions kind of way, but when you use the phrase "I totally understand why people are mad at me" it's like yeah buddy, you did a super egregious thing to a Black kid who apparently was a "good friend."
While he is not allowed to speak to Isiah Meyer-Crothers per court ruling, the weird Snapchat thing felt a little gross. Did he want to gain back some sense of normalcy or something? He doesn't really have that right, to be honest. Also the "I lost a lot too" comment was absolutely unnecessary if he really felt apologetic for his actions. It's a weird way to center himself on the ordeal and he doesn't get to do that.
Additionally, Miller lost the right to find out how he's doing after this; Meyer-Crothers literally owes him nothing. He doesn't get to sit down with him again to catch up, share a laugh, nothing. I would never want to ask both of them to be in the same room again. I am sure Miller will be able to find another line of work and he has support in ways that many others like Meyer-Crothers may not.
He owes no other debt to society but continues to be punished beyond what was mandated by Law. Joni enjoys the spotlight. She is denying the closure she claims to want for her son and her family. You can make this go away tomorrow. Accept the apology and forgive.
Hey, I’m not into this whole “his mother enjoys the spotlight” thought, it smacks a little of accusations of attention whoring and it makes me deeply uncomfortable that you would even make this assumption. Do not reply to me anymore.
I was close to Mitchell during his time with the Tri City Storm of the USHL. I can tell you he was a great teammate, well respected by his peers, coaches and billets. I know for a fact he is truly is sorry for his actions as as a 14 year old 8th grader. I can also say, as did at least one other commenter, that I did stupid, thoughtless things at that age as well. If we are honest with ourselves, I think there are very few among us who can say we never did such things. So, keyboard Angels, judges and juries, it's time to get in touch with reality and admit that we can learn from our mistakes...it's called the maturation process. However, you can't learn if you are not allowed to move on with your life.
Thank you for being willing to publicly support Mitchell as someone who actually interacted with him over a period of time, at a time closer to the incident. You obviously have interacted with numerous young men in your capacity as the team driver and can speak to the matter and judge his response relative to his peers of roughly the same age and circumstances. Teens are not the only ones that need to mature.
So doesnt this prove the Meyer-Crothers family are liars? They were adamant Miller never apologized to their family but in your article it states that the family received the apology and also that your article would only be written after approval by the Meyer-Crothers. So...the Meyer-Crothers family lied about this originally...hmmm what a shock
I give you immense respect for doing this interview, and for being firm in your expectations and guidelines when agreeing to sit with Miller for it. It's obviously a dicey situation, so you have to be careful in how you report or communicate it. Kudos to you.
Personally, while I do feel there's some genuine guilt and remorse there that may not have been prior, I still get shades of self-pity and phrasing that rub me the wrong way. He framed responses in regards to how they affect him, or about him, more times that you'd like someone in the hot seat to. And one of my biggest concerns in this whole ordeal was seemingly highlighted in his mother's responses: the almost casual and downplayed phrasing of the incident, i.e. "playing around", "this is not behavior we will condone, be a good person", "he was in trouble for a long time" are responses a mom would give to a little kid who was caught taking a toy away from another kid, not a teenager who was systematically bullying and essentially "hate-criming" a kid for years to the point of legal intervention and a very exasperated judge who had some not-inspiring words to say about Miller's responses. Some reports treated it in similar ways, phrasing it in "boys being boys" or "teens making silly mistakes" terms that belie how deeply gross the situation really was and how long it went on.
I feel like he's starting to understand how bad it is, and why he should do better, but I also feel like some of that old spite and "mad I got caught" attitude is in play. The phrasing and directing emotions toward himself, as well, hints that it's still - at the very least - partially a matter of clearing his name so he can do what he wants to do rather than being 100% about making it right and being a better person.
I wish him all the help in the world, and I hope he grows as a human being and truly understands the weight of his actions and responses at the time in relation to what he did.
Thanks Craig for having the courage to follow up on this story. Would love to see a profile of both boys lives once they become independent adults. We may never know the full story of these boys until they become men.
It's clear you did a lot of work in this article and I appreciate it. However, Miller seems to be more upset about what his actions cost him than how he's wronged his classmate. There are people who can't follow their dreams and become a doctor just because they failed one test; for Miller (and others) to expect another chance at a professional hockey career when he's done something so egregiously terrible is mindboggling to me.
I agree that playing hockey is a privilege. There are plenty of avenues that he can still pursue if that dream is never realized again. He has not lost everything.
Is making a living a privilege. If he was a good carpenter, should we deny him a job with a builder? Mechanic? This is about a hot political racial movement and the fact he could be a professional athlete. NFL players have done much worse and are welcomed back with open arms. I hope the same people bitching about a 14year old's bad decision are picketing NFL teams.
Thank you for doing this article. I know you did not have to but I appreciate you giving the kid a second chance to explain himself. I know for sure that I did some horrible things back from 5th grade through high school. When I look back on them I am not proud of what I did but I am a different person now then I was back then. And I think that is the thing that we all need to remember. You do mature as you age. Some mature much faster than others and that allows them to maybe not go down those darker paths. I am all for giving the kid a second chance. As I said I did some regrettable things when I was younger as I am sure many of us did. I am a much different person now than I was back then. And now in my fifties I would say I have changed since I was in my thirties. You can only hope that we all grow and learn as we get older.
I'm not saying this is your point, but I do not agree with those who say he shouldn't be held accountable for something he did when he was 14. Most 14-year-olds know not to do what he did. They know right from wrong. There is no defending what he did, but do we allow people to move forward from such actions and what are the conditions set to move forward?
He has to take those necessary steps, but how do we judge when he has? Are we even open to allowing for that? I do feel that too much of the American focus is on continued punishment, and not rehabilitation from heinous acts. But again, rehabilitation must start with Mitchell Miller's actions.
Murderer’s and rapists are allowed out of prisons. If we didn’t believe in second or multiple chances as a society then that would never happen. According to him and his family he has been doing those rehabilitations since the event. Just because he doesn’t announce it on Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean he’s not doing anything. He seems sincere. Hopefully everyone involved can move on.
He was held accountable in court and after it. He fulfilled that obligation. The mob mentality of the keyboard warriors believed he deserved even more punishment than a judge, a school, his parents, and his community had passed upon him already. Those folks must be amazing superheros who never wronged at all. Perfect people.... hypocrits
Mother is now on Twitter @freetastesgood comparing him to a rapist! This is now time to contact a lawyer.
To me the victim’s family is setting themselves up for a lawsuit. Clear defamation . Ruined a career with a nhl minimum salary of 900k a year+ .He can very easily prove that he did everything the Court asked of him and more. Why isn’t the family going after the other kid? Shared the same sentence. I would hit them with a huge lawsuit.
This is a bad take. It's not defamation to point out facts that every party agrees actually occurred. Defamation is when you lie or tear down someone's character wrongfully or inaccurately. There is no slander or libel here.
The victim's family did not "ruin a career." Mitchell's _actions_ did that. These are what we know as "consequences." And consequences can extend beyond what the court has ordered. Your lawsuit would be summarily dismissed as completely ridiculous.
Once again, the victim's family merely pointed out the facts as they occurred. The NHL interpreted that the optics wouldn't be great. This isn't the NFL.
ok, your probably right. Does the suit force the victims family to stop the harassment? This was a young offender who completed everything that was required from the laws that governed where he lives. He is still being punished publicly. Does the other boy who was also charged receiving the same fury? No he isn't, ask yourself why? The victim's mother has not stopped denying receiving the apology which has created a huge wave of sympathy from trolls and people who don't know all the facts. This was a court mandated step that he had to complete, along with his community service. His family continues to get attacked. Check her Twitter @freetastesgood. If you have kids, and knowing how this went down because I live in the community, this keeps you up at night! Could easily be any kid in school today. Enough is Enough!
Now comparing him to a rapist on twitter. Still feel the same way? The Millers aren't spewing this stuff she is. She continues to add fuel to the fire and the Miller's can't defend themselves.
All Miller needs to do now is look to the kid who 2as bullied by CNN, MSNBC, and all the other media during the election where they tried to defame and ruin him (I forget his name) but he has already settled several suits and more are on the way and going to court.
To be fair the family could be doing that to the other kid but perhaps it's not a story for the media? Who knows. I certainly do not
Craig, your own article shows this was just a dumb kid who made a mistake who got railroaded...your own words prove the Meyer-Crothers family lied about his actions.
With this logic there can be no one who can be released from jail. This kid has been pretty model citizen since this all happened it would appear. He was honest and forthright with every team at every level. I say let him play and give him a platform to help him push the message he has been helping with since the incident.
Couldn't agree more, thanks RedCoyote19.
i bet you was a real piece of shit back then. I know you're still a piece of shit now. Fuck you dickheaded asshole
Thanks Craig, I know you and I didn't see eye to eye when the story first broke but I'm glad you took this chance to speak with him first hand. It's just a terrible situation all the way around and I really hope that everyone involved can truly heal; Especially the young man that was bullied. I doubt Miller will ever reach the levels of hockey he wanted to but hopefully he can be successful in helping other kids in situations like this on both sides.
Healing should be the goal for both sides; for themselves and for each other.
Yes it should but somehow I doubt many of your media colleagues and their vocal tribes will allow it to happen. They bullied the kid plain and simple. He could have stayed in college playing and been drafted and the team could have had an opportunity to really help in that healing and put their muscle behind it. The league could have too but they caved to the mob.
"Won't somebody think of the bully being bullied!"
Craig is taking a lot of heat on Twitter and other places for giving Miller a platform. Since everyone with limited information, an opinion and keyboard will always have their public platform, I have no problem with Craig, under his strict conditions, giving Miller an opportunity to speak for himself.
Craig deserves a while lot of Kudos for having the stones to write this, write it his way, and share it with us. Bravo Craig
We got Craig's back here!
We know this was reported the right way, as right as it can be in this situation.
As someone who was bullied and to be honest, bullied others back in the late 60's and early 70's, I'm not sure I feel qualified to offer thoughts and opinions on this current day situation. I know how I was affected and I was told years ago how what we did affected others. But, everyone moved on and we live out our lives reasonably normally
Todays world makes bullying more unacceptable and that's a good thing Todays people also seem to let things affect them more or so it seems to me. Maybe that's not true, its just my perception of the new world an old guy lives in. I'm struggling with how much punishment is enough or is there ever enough and when should a victim be able to move past it? Probably best I stop here and just be silent and read the other responses.
Great write, though Craig, Last thing I expected to see from you. :-)
To note...sensitivity levels about this largely hasn't really changed in younger generations. The difference is the internet. The internet has provided a platform for the bullied to actually tell their story. And any time a story is told, it will get a reaction. The internet provides a much larger platform, and gives everyone a voice...whether they are truthful or not, the internet is unbiased like that.
The internet gives people a platform to speak about social issues that didn't used to exist.
I agree with you on the power of the internet as a platform for telling a story, truthful or not.
We will agree to disagree on how the most current generations handle adversity versus earlier generations.
After rereading my comment, I think my point on that front was a bit convoluted. My goal was to say mostly that unlike in the past, we actually see the impacts of the bullied. It always existed, but unlike when the news was limited to newspaper, 30 minutes to an hour of TV, or random radio reports, the internet gives us exposure to these things. The internet also removes tone. What one person may be sarcastically joking about, another person may perceive as crying and whining.
Hmm, I can accept that. In the past, everyone did their soul searching, crying, apologizing, boxing in the school gym at the gym teachers order, etc and for the most part moved on. Now, with the internet and the 24 hour news cycle and very biased news organizations, we have professional victims who crop up and keep a story going way past where a situation should have been settled, worked out, shaken hands, apologized, etc. And more often than not, the coverage supporting the professional victim can be one sided.
Not saying any of that applies here, I was not in the middle of this situation and don't feel qualified to give an opinion. I will keep it to myself this time.
I'm glad you decided to do this, well done. Redemption is a difficult path to tread and the first step is always admitting it's the path you need to follow.
It's hard to get a full grasp on sincerity without a face-to-face encounter, of course.
Yep. Nobody knows for certain what is in Miller's heart, except Miller.
Thank you for this article. After reading what you wrote I went back and read the AZCentral to compare.
The mother mentioned several times that her son never received a non-court issued apology but she or the writer omits that there was a court order forbidding contact. Also, you obtained paperwork showing his community service as well as work will counselors.
You did a great job of setting the standard and using your craft to dig deeper on this issue to give a whole perspective.
I feel for the family and hope they can heal enough to move forward(it will not be easy). I hope as a human that Miller is in the process of getting is mind and heart right. IF he has made these improvements, I hope he gets a chance to play hockey at the highest level as he can an be an example of human growth.
(Not everyone believes in second chances but I do as long as it is earned.)
Should've known we could count on Craig to deliver the most in-depth account of this whole ordeal. It's tough to know how genuine some of Miller's actions are or whether they were at the behest of his agent. It's interesting that much of this work didn't see the light of day when this all first transpired.
I hope for everyone's sake that Mitchell and Isaiah do one day get a chance to discuss these things together. Restorative justice can do wonders for people and often, people are willing to let old transgressions go if met with a sincere apology (I actually just read an article yesterday of a woman who did this with her middle school peers 40 years after the fact and how transformative it was for everyone).
I've seen some people here questioning Miller's sincerity based on his apology letter. That's fair, but it also reads to me like something that may have actually been written by Miller and not something that was wordsmithed by his parents or agent. How many of us had the reflective skills we're asking of Miller when we were 18?
I got the impression the apology letter was the one written as part of the court proceedings when Miller was 14, not recently.
That is correct.
Should be noted that the family denied ever receiving it. This proves they have not been truthful. Time for them to forgive and move on.
Maybe they didn't. I don't know. I wasn't there.
Read your previous articles and the Toledo Blade Stories...
Then the family didn't have much of an attorney. That letter would have had to be given to their attorney as part of the court proceedings.
That explains the handwriting
The thing that struck me was that he kept saying that he and Isaiah were friends before the incident. Having taught middle school, I can tell you that he probably honestly believes that There is a certain segment of kids (more boys when talking about physical stuff/pranks, about evenly split when it comes to words) who don't understand the line between teasing/joking/horseplay and bullying, and they don't understand the fallout when they cross it and face consequences.
To me, it sounds like he still has some maturity issues. It's not so much that he still kind of frames things in terms of how they affect him; 18-19 year olds, especially boys, are still adolescents, and they tend to still have an egocentric outlook on the world. But rather there is a a certain...tone to the language that he uses that tells me there is still a lot of growing up he needs to do, and a lot of work on empathy. Hopefully, he'll be able to accomplish that and become a solid member of society no matter what he ends up doing.
One note on the decision to do this article--I think you handled it well. I think making sure that he and his agent understood the conditions and warning the family of the victim were responsible actions to take. I already saw a couple people comment that they thought it was in the same vein as Larry Brooks' attempt to seemingly rehabilitate Tony DeAngelo's image, but I didn't get that sense at all from this.
"There is a certain segment of kids (more boys when talking about physical stuff/pranks, about evenly split when it comes to words) who don't understand the line between teasing/joking/horseplay and bullying"
As someone who has been on both sides of that line - I've been the bully, and I've been bullied - this is extremely true.
Guy friendships are full of 'ball busting' and teasing; teen years are where you find the line. Something in Millers life pushed his finding of the line out of wack; was it that he was good at hockey and so got away with more? something from his parents? I can't answer that.
He clearly has a lot of growing up and maturing to do; and I think professional hockey is not the place to do that.
Came here to say the same thing. Male friendship can border on bullying far too often, especially in the middle school years.
Great article Craig, took a lot of guts to take up a story like this and I think you handled it well
Craig, Thank you for your objectivism in this piece it is much appreciated and far to rare in journalism these days. I will continue to subscribe to your writing for as long as you choose to keep writing.
Glad that you gave this situation a voice and that you were forthright with all parties involved. There are no easy roads for anyone directly involved, I wish them all well on their journeys.
There is still a glaring omission and one that I hope you someday have an opportunity to explore with the same level of objectivism. The Coyotes organization truly blundered and should have had a plan when making this draft pick. This points at a very immature and/or dysfunctional front office that should have been prepared. XG coming out days later with his proverbial pants down was pathetic. I would love to hear some contrition from the Coyotes on their very poor handling of this situation and what steps are being taken within the organization to mature.
I have been a fan since their very 1st game back in 96 and have painfully walked with this team for 25 years. We seem to be at yet another junction and I would love to start feeling that this franchise wants to succeed both on the ice and within the organization...
You're so right, Mark. Dare I say it, I actually felt bad for XG in this scenario, to be forced into finding some way to put a positive spin, a 'we support our Pack' vein, into an absolute disaster of a choice by the Hockey Ops crew -- likely Steve Sullivan, though I don't want to assume. I don't remember if Hofford was here or gone when it happened. To be sure, if XG or Ownership was anywhere near the selection of prospects in a 'normal' situation, I'd be concerned. So it looks bad on XG, but I don't think it's really his fault. And I, too, am curious on the behind-the-scenes Hockey Ops baggage that continues to be dealt with. Wish we could know more.
Mereulo is so close to XG, I can't imagine he was happy having to put his confidante in that position.
Yeah, hockey ops has been such a disappointment in this franchise so many times. Thanks for your reply, to clarify I was not blaming XG for this fuckery. His statement was required but so, so, so pathetic. Sullivan was the likeliest culprit for the blunder in the cast of characters. 'Colonel Sullivan in the Zoom call with the Bad Pick'. Wish this was a board game that could be put away sometimes.
Ah yes, but you know as well as I do that with all board games, all it takes is the persistence of one drunk uncle to drag it back out of the closet and ruin Thanksgiving.
We all love this team. It *seems* like the ship is turning. It's a slow, wind-logged, wave-lapped turn.....but a turn nevertheless. At the risk of mixing my metaphors, maybe we're finally chucking all the drunk uncles overboard.
There are certain words that he uses that sound very...I dunno if 'childish' is the word but you can tell he's still very young and immature. Not in a doubling down on his actions kind of way, but when you use the phrase "I totally understand why people are mad at me" it's like yeah buddy, you did a super egregious thing to a Black kid who apparently was a "good friend."
While he is not allowed to speak to Isiah Meyer-Crothers per court ruling, the weird Snapchat thing felt a little gross. Did he want to gain back some sense of normalcy or something? He doesn't really have that right, to be honest. Also the "I lost a lot too" comment was absolutely unnecessary if he really felt apologetic for his actions. It's a weird way to center himself on the ordeal and he doesn't get to do that.
Additionally, Miller lost the right to find out how he's doing after this; Meyer-Crothers literally owes him nothing. He doesn't get to sit down with him again to catch up, share a laugh, nothing. I would never want to ask both of them to be in the same room again. I am sure Miller will be able to find another line of work and he has support in ways that many others like Meyer-Crothers may not.
That's a very fair take.
He owes no other debt to society but continues to be punished beyond what was mandated by Law. Joni enjoys the spotlight. She is denying the closure she claims to want for her son and her family. You can make this go away tomorrow. Accept the apology and forgive.
Hey, I’m not into this whole “his mother enjoys the spotlight” thought, it smacks a little of accusations of attention whoring and it makes me deeply uncomfortable that you would even make this assumption. Do not reply to me anymore.
It’s ok to voice your opinion but I make you uncomfortable to voice mine. Explains a lot
I have 5 kids in and around his age. The Snapchat thing IS how they communicate. Totally normal to them
I was close to Mitchell during his time with the Tri City Storm of the USHL. I can tell you he was a great teammate, well respected by his peers, coaches and billets. I know for a fact he is truly is sorry for his actions as as a 14 year old 8th grader. I can also say, as did at least one other commenter, that I did stupid, thoughtless things at that age as well. If we are honest with ourselves, I think there are very few among us who can say we never did such things. So, keyboard Angels, judges and juries, it's time to get in touch with reality and admit that we can learn from our mistakes...it's called the maturation process. However, you can't learn if you are not allowed to move on with your life.
Bob Haller
Team Driver
Tri City Storm, USHL
Thank you for being willing to publicly support Mitchell as someone who actually interacted with him over a period of time, at a time closer to the incident. You obviously have interacted with numerous young men in your capacity as the team driver and can speak to the matter and judge his response relative to his peers of roughly the same age and circumstances. Teens are not the only ones that need to mature.
So doesnt this prove the Meyer-Crothers family are liars? They were adamant Miller never apologized to their family but in your article it states that the family received the apology and also that your article would only be written after approval by the Meyer-Crothers. So...the Meyer-Crothers family lied about this originally...hmmm what a shock
I give you immense respect for doing this interview, and for being firm in your expectations and guidelines when agreeing to sit with Miller for it. It's obviously a dicey situation, so you have to be careful in how you report or communicate it. Kudos to you.
Personally, while I do feel there's some genuine guilt and remorse there that may not have been prior, I still get shades of self-pity and phrasing that rub me the wrong way. He framed responses in regards to how they affect him, or about him, more times that you'd like someone in the hot seat to. And one of my biggest concerns in this whole ordeal was seemingly highlighted in his mother's responses: the almost casual and downplayed phrasing of the incident, i.e. "playing around", "this is not behavior we will condone, be a good person", "he was in trouble for a long time" are responses a mom would give to a little kid who was caught taking a toy away from another kid, not a teenager who was systematically bullying and essentially "hate-criming" a kid for years to the point of legal intervention and a very exasperated judge who had some not-inspiring words to say about Miller's responses. Some reports treated it in similar ways, phrasing it in "boys being boys" or "teens making silly mistakes" terms that belie how deeply gross the situation really was and how long it went on.
I feel like he's starting to understand how bad it is, and why he should do better, but I also feel like some of that old spite and "mad I got caught" attitude is in play. The phrasing and directing emotions toward himself, as well, hints that it's still - at the very least - partially a matter of clearing his name so he can do what he wants to do rather than being 100% about making it right and being a better person.
I wish him all the help in the world, and I hope he grows as a human being and truly understands the weight of his actions and responses at the time in relation to what he did.
Thanks Craig for having the courage to follow up on this story. Would love to see a profile of both boys lives once they become independent adults. We may never know the full story of these boys until they become men.
It's clear you did a lot of work in this article and I appreciate it. However, Miller seems to be more upset about what his actions cost him than how he's wronged his classmate. There are people who can't follow their dreams and become a doctor just because they failed one test; for Miller (and others) to expect another chance at a professional hockey career when he's done something so egregiously terrible is mindboggling to me.
I agree that playing hockey is a privilege. There are plenty of avenues that he can still pursue if that dream is never realized again. He has not lost everything.
Is making a living a privilege. If he was a good carpenter, should we deny him a job with a builder? Mechanic? This is about a hot political racial movement and the fact he could be a professional athlete. NFL players have done much worse and are welcomed back with open arms. I hope the same people bitching about a 14year old's bad decision are picketing NFL teams.
He can make a living doing something other than hockey...