Welcome to the AZ Coyotes Insider newsletter. I generally publish stories four to six times per week (some of them free). By subscribing, you’ll be supporting independent, accountable journalism. Subscribe now so you won’t miss a story. Editor’s note: When representatives for Mitchell Miller reached out to see if I was interested in interviewing Miller, I made it clear that there would be conditions attached to that interview, and only after that interview would I decide whether it warranted a story.
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.
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.
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. :-)
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. :-)
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.
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...
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.
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
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.