GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — The University of North Dakota said Friday that Arizona Coyotes top draft pick Mitchell Miller is no longer on the school's hockey team.
The announcement by university president Andrew Armacost came a day after the Coyotes renounced their rights to the 2020 fourth-round pick after learning more about his bullying of a Black classmate with developmental disabilities four years ago.
Miller, an 18-year-old defenseman, is a freshman at North Dakota.
In a letter posted to Twitter, Armacost said: "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."
The Arizona Coyotes parted ways with Miller after taking criticism for selecting him in the fourth round earlier this month despite knowing of his 2016 assault conviction. Arizona acknowledged it knew about the incident when it selected Miller 111th overall, but President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said they renounced rights to Miller after learning more about the incident and the impact it had on the victim, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers.
Miller pleaded guilty at age 14 to one count of assault and one count of violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act. He and another teenager were accused of making 14-year-old Isaiah Meyer-Crothers eat a candy push pop after wiping it in a bathroom urinal, and surveillance video showed them kicking and punching him.
Meyer-Crothers told the Arizona Republic earlier in October he was stunned and saddened when he found out the Coyotes drafted Miller, who he said taunted him with racist language and repeatedly hit him when they were growing up in a suburb of Toledo.
Miller sent a letter to all 31 NHL teams acknowledging what happened and apologizing for his behavior. Meyer-Crothers's mother, Joni, said Miller never personally apologized to Isaiah or their family other than a court-mandated letter.
The Arizona Coyotes have renounced the rights for 2020 draft pick Mitchell Miller, the team announced Thursday.
The move comes after it was revealed earlier this week that Miller was charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act in February of 2016 after he and another student admitted to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a classmate who is Black and has a learning disability.
"We have decided to renounce the rights to Mitchell Miller, effective immediately," Coyotes President & CEO Xavier Gutierrez said, via a team statement issued Thursday. "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 behavior 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."
Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong also provided a statement:
"I fully support our decision to renounce Mitchell Miller's draft rights," Armstrong said. "It was a unique situation for me not being able to participate in this year's Draft and we were going through a transition with our scouting department. Mitchell is a good hockey player, but we need to do the right thing as an organization and not just as a hockey team. I'd like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family for everything they have dealt with the past few months. I wish them all the best in the future."
Armstrong, as he noted, was not permitted to be at the helm of the Coyotes' draft this year per an agreement with his former club, the St. Louis Blues. The Coyotes selected Miller in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
"Put yourself in our position. Would you be okay with it?" Joni Meyer-Crothers said. "It's a joke that a sports team, especially with all the stuff going on with Black Lives Matter, would do this."
Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, who is now 18, told the Republic that Miller had taunted him for years growing up and called him names like "brownie" and used the "N-word" while repeatedly hitting him. He said it "hurt my heart" when he saw the news that Miller had been drafted by the Coyotes.
In the days since The Republic's report, The Hockey Diversity Alliance -- a group founded earlier this year by former hockey players whose stated goal is to eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey -- issued a statement urging the NHL and the Coyotes to act:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson said he did not request a trade and is glad to remain with the Arizona Coyotes.
"I really like to live there and it would have been very hard for me to leave," the defenseman told Swedish website Hockeysverige.se on Wednesday. "I never really wanted to do anything but to stay in Arizona. I'm really happy that it ended this way."
Ekman-Larsson, Arizona's captain the past two seasons, has a full no-movement clause in his contract. He gave the Coyotes an Oct. 9 deadline to trade him to one of two teams, the Vancouver Canucks or Boston Bruins, his agent, Kevin Epp, told TSN on Oct. 6.
"I picked those teams because I didn't want to stand in the way of the team in case they felt like they needed to move me," the 29-year-old said. "That's the person I am. I put those teams there as alternatives, but I never really wanted to move."
Bill Armstrong, who was hired as Coyotes general manager on Sept. 17, said he had an open line of communication with Ekman-Larsson, who scored 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 66 regular-season games and four points (one goal, three assists) in nine postseason games last season.
"I think I reached out to him before and had a great conversation with him," Armstrong said. "I think I'll do that, and then when he gets back into town, we can talk again. But I think he has to understand too, I was kind of brought into this situation. It's not something that I caused, so I think that I can explain that to him and I think we've had talks about what my job is. He has a job to play and be the captain and be an impact player."
Ekman-Larsson signed an eight-year, $66 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value) on July 1, 2018, when John Chayka was the GM. The NHL salary cap will remain $81.5 million for this season, which is targeted to begin Jan. 1, 2021.
"I signed because I wanted to be in Arizona until I'm 36," Ekman-Larsson said. "When this rumor appeared, it felt awkward and it was a tough situation. I had never been in a situation like this before with trade rumors. Mentally, it was tough."
The Coyotes defeated the Nashville Predators in four games in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers before losing in five games to the Colorado Avalanche in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round. It was their first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2012.
"There were a lot of rumors that the team would sell and get rid of players to save money," Ekman-Larsson said. "But it never really happened, and I actually think that we have a very good team on paper. We're a really tight-knit group and I really appreciate that. We made it to the playoffs this year and I really hope we can make it further next year."
The Hockey Diversity Alliance has put out a statement directed at the NHL and the Arizona Coyotes regarding their decision earlier this month to draft Mitchell Miller, a player convicted of assaulting a Black teen with disabilities four years ago.
The Coyotes say that they will work with prospect Miller "to confront bullying and racism" after reports surfaced that their top 2020 draft pick was convicted of bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities in 2016.
"The Coyotes' drafting of Mitchell Miller - who was convicted of bullying a developmentally disabled, Black classmate, and according to the victim's family has not personally apologized - shows that "zero tolerance" of racism can't be taken for granted in the NHL the NHL and the Coyotes should sign the hda pledge and start practicing what they preach," the HDA statement reads.
The statement referenced item No. 6 of the HDA pledge that asked the NHL to agree that "We will not support, partner with or accept support from any organization that has engaged in, promoted or failed to appropriately respond to racist conduct in their organization of any kind (including, without limitation, the proliferation of hate speech, discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities and other areas such as employment)."
Miller and another teen were charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act in 2016 after they were accused of making Isaiah Meyer-Crothers eat candy that was in a urinal.
A police report obtained by The Arizona Republic states that Miller and the other teen pushed and punched Meyer-Crothers and that Miller lied to school officials about his involvement.
Meyer-Crothers says Miller taunted him for years with racial slurs, calling him "brownie" and the "N-word" and repeatedly hit him. "It hurt my heart, to be honest," he told The Republic after learning Miller was drafted. "It's stupid that they (Coyotes) didn't go back and look what happened in the past, but I can't do anything about it."
Miller and the other teen were sentenced to 25 hours of community service and were ordered to write an apology through the court system to Meyer-Crothers, participate in counselling and pay court costs.
The Coyotes selected Miller in the fourth round (111th overall) of the draft on Oct. 7.
According to The Republic, the team did not make senior management available to comment on why they drafted Miller, but issued a statement from team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez outlining that they knew about the incident prior to drafting him and are working with him.
"Our fundamental mission is to ensure a safe environment - whether in schools, in our community, in hockey rinks, or in the workplace - to be free of bullying and racism," Gutierrez said in the statement, per The Republic. "When we first learned of Mitchell's story, it would have been easy for us to dismiss him - many teams did. Instead, we felt it was our responsibility to be a part of the solution in a real way - not just saying and doing the right things ourselves but ensuring that others are too.
"Given our priorities on diversity and inclusion, we believe that we are in the best position to guide Mitchell into becoming a leader for this cause and preventing bullying and racism now and in the future. As an organization, we have made our expectations very clear to him. We are willing to work with Mitchell and put in the time, effort, and energy and provide him with the necessary resources and platform to confront bullying and racism. This isn't a story about excuses or justifications. It's a story about reflection, growth, and community impact. A true leader finds ways for every person to contribute to the solution. We all need to be a part of the solution."
Gutierrez was named the Coyotes' new president and CEO in June and was also named last month to the NHL's Executive Inclusion Council, a committee created to focus on stopping racism and fostering diversity in the game.
Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong added that Miller, who now attends the University of North Dakota, sent out a letter to every NHL team acknowledging what happened and has apologized for it.
The Coyotes also sent out a statement from Miller on Friday.
"I am extremely sorry about the bullying incident that occurred in 2016 while I was in eighth grade," the statement read, per The Republic. "I was young, immature and feel terrible about my actions.
"At the time, I did not understand the gravity of my actions and how they can affect other people. I have issued an apology to the family for my behavior, completed cultural diversity and sensitivity training and volunteered within my community with organizations such as Little Miracles. Over the past four years, I have had a lot of time to reflect and grow and I am very grateful to the Arizona Coyotes for taking a chance on me. I promise not to let them down. Moving forward, I want to be a leader for this cause and help end bullying and racism."
The University of North Dakota has also acknowledged that they knew about the incident, as well as USA Hockey and the USHL's Tri-City Storm, where Miller played last season.
Meyer-Crothers' mother Joni told The Republic that aside from the court-appointed letter, Miller has never personally apologized to her son nor did the Coyotes contact their family.
"What they (Coyotes) are saying is what Mitchell did to him didn't matter," she told the paper. "They owe our son an apology.
"They are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem and they are adding fuel to Black Lives Matter."
The NHLPA announced on Monday night that Hanzal, who played 12 seasons in the NHL has elected to retire.
Congratulations to Martin Hanzal, who has closed the chapter on his NHL career following 127 goals and 338 points over 673 NHL games! pic.twitter.com/hjEjGuTgc6
Hanzal, a native of Czechoslovakia, was drafted in the first round (17th overall) by the then-Phoenix Coyotes. The forward went on to spend nine-plus seasons with the Coyotes before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild midway through the 2016-17 season. He spent the last two seasons of his career (2017-19) with the Dallas Stars after signing with the team as a free agent.
Hanzal recorded 127 goals and 338 points over 673 career games played in the NHL.
The Arizona Coyotes last month boasted about having their chief executive selected to an elite National Hockey League committee that pledged to stop racism, but the team then spent its first draft pick on an 18-year-old who has admitted to bullying an African American classmate with developmental disabilities.
Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, the Black student, told The Arizona Republic that he was stunned and saddened when he learned the Coyotes earlier this month had selected Mitchell Miller, whom he grew up with in Sylvania, Ohio.
Four years ago, Miller admitted in an Ohio juvenile court to bullying Meyer-Crothers, who was tricked into licking a candy push pop that Miller and another boy had wiped in a bathroom urinal.Meyer-Crothers had to be tested for hepatitis, HIV and STDs, but the tests came back negative, according to a police report.
Meyer-Crothers, also 18 and who now lives in Detroit, said Miller had taunted him for years, constantly calling him "brownie" and the "N-word," while repeatedly hitting him while growing up in the Toledo suburb. Other students at their junior high confirmed to police that Miller repeatedly used the "N-word" in referring to Meyer-Crothers.
"He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn't want to do," Meyer-Crothers said in a phone interview. "In junior high, I got beat up by him. … Everyone thinks he's so cool that he gets to go to the NHL, but I don't see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life."
Miller was the Coyotes first pick in the fourth round on Oct 7. The team didn't have its top three picks because they were either traded away or revoked by the NHL for violating the league's combine testing policy.
Attempts to contact Miller through the Coyotes, his family and attorney were unsuccessful. He issued a statement late Friday through the team expressing contrition.
The Coyotes chose Miller one month after Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez was named to the NHL's Executive Inclusion Council, a group the league said will focus on combating racism and fostering diversity in the sport.
In announcing his appointment, the Coyotes issued a press release that said Gutierrez wants diversity and inclusion to extend beyond the Coyotes front offices and hockey operations.
The team has boasted that Gutierrez is first Latino president and CEO in the NHL, while owner Alex Meruelo in 2019 became the league's first Hispanic owner. The Coyotes have made clear their plans to increase their potential ticket-buying audience with expanded outreach in communities of color under the new leadership.
The Coyotes did not agree to make any of their senior management available for interviews about why they decided to draft Miller, but issued a statement from Gutierrez explaining why the organization felt the choice was justified.
"Our fundamental mission is to ensure a safe environment — whether in schools, in our community, in hockey rinks, or in the workplace — to be free of bullying and racism. When we first learned of Mitchell's story, it would have been easy for us to dismiss him — many teams did. Instead, we felt it was our responsibility to be a part of the solution in a real way — not just saying and doing the right things ourselves but ensuring that others are too," the statement said.
"Given our priorities on diversity and inclusion, we believe that we are in the best position to guide Mitchell into becoming a leader for this cause and preventing bullying and racism now and in the future. As an organization, we have made our expectations very clear to him. We are willing to work with Mitchell and put in the time, effort, and energy and provide him with the necessary resources and platform to confront bullying and racism. This isn't a story about excuses or justifications. It's a story about reflection, growth, and community impact. A true leader finds ways for every person to contribute to the solution. We all need to be a part of the solution."
'Hurt my heart'
Meyer-Crothers, who is developmentally four years behind his peers, is like most teenagers. He's well-versed in social media, but he said he was sick to his stomach when he saw on his phone that Miller had been drafted.
He texted his parents, writing: "Did you see this?"
"It hurt my heart to be honest," Meyer-Crothers said. "It's stupid that they (Coyotes) didn't go back and look what happened in the past, but I can't do anything about it."
Most professional sports teams do extensive research on the background and character of draft picks, especially high picks that command larger financial commitments.
Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong was not involved in drafting Miller — that was part of the arrangement with his previous team, the St. Louis Blues, that enabled him to accept the Coyotes' job before the NHL Draft. Armstrong said in a statement that Arizona scouts were aware of the bullying incident.
"The Arizona Coyotes do not condone any type of bullying behavior. I was unable to participate in this year's draft but prior to drafting Mitchell Miller, our scouts were made aware of his history and the bullying incident that occurred in 2016 when he was 14 years old," Armstrong said.
"Mitchell sent a letter to every NHL team acknowledging what happened and apologizing for his behavior. Mitchell made a huge mistake, but we are providing him with a second chance to prove himself. We hope that he uses his platform moving forward to raise awareness about bullying and to discourage this type of behavior."
Joni Meyer-Crothers, Isaiah's mother, said the Coyotes never contacted their family.
"What they (Coyotes) are saying is what Mitchell did to him didn't matter," she said. "They owe our son an apology. They are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem and they are adding fuel to Black Lives Matter."
Joni Meyer-Crothers said she wonders how Gutierrez and Meruelo would feel if Miller had taunted one of their children and used a disparaging word for Hispanics.
"Put yourself in our position. Would you be okay with it?" she said. "It's a joke that a sports team, especially with all the stuff going on with Black Lives Matter, would do this."
The Coyotes chose Miller during a time that systemic racism has spurred national civil unrest, including protests across America following the death of George Floyd in May after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck.
Sports leagues have responded by taking political stands, and the NBA fully embraced the Black Lives Matter movement with players putting social justice messages on their jerseys during its abbreviated season restart.
The NHL responded by creating a 15-member Executive Inclusion Council that includes Gutierrez. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Buffalo Sabres' Owner Kim Pegula co-chair the 15-member group, whose focus is to candidly assess the current state of the league, identifying opportunities for positive change and developing tangible action and benchmarks to advance its goals, according to the NHL.
Never personally apologized
Miller and another teen-ager were charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act in February 2016, when they were accused of making Meyer-Crothers eat candy that had been placed in a urinal. Other accounts in a police report indicate the boys urinated on the candy before giving it to Meyer-Crothers.
Miller and the other teen then punched and pushed Meyer-Crothers, according to the police report obtained by The Republic. The report also says Miller lied to school officials about his involvement.
At the time, Meyer-Crothers had the mental ability of a 10-year-old, according to his mom.
Miller and the other boy admitted to the misdemeanors and were sentenced to 25 hours of community service and were ordered to write an apology through the court system to Meyer-Crothers, participate in counseling and pay court costs.
Joni Meyer-Crothers said the other boy broke down in tears while personally apologizing to her son, yet Miller has never personally apologized, she said, other than the court-mandated letter.
The Coyotes sent The Republic a copy of the letter that Miller claimed to have given to the victim and his family. The family said on Friday they never received the letter.
Joni Meyer-Crothers said one of the key reasons Miller and the other boy admitted to the crime and avoided a trial was because it was caught on a surveillance camera, and it would have been shown in court.
"It was absolutely brutal," she said. "Had he not pled guilty, the video would have been released. It would have been so much worse on Mitchell because of the brutality to our son … He's smashing Isaiah's head against a brick wall."
The family declined to release the video to the Republic because Isaiah said it would be too embarrassing for him.
"It was totally traumatizing for my kid, and he (Miller) has never show remorse. But, I guess it's okay to take him on your team. I struggle with that."
Not every NHL team was keen to drafting Miller, even though he sent letters to every club admitting his transgressions.
On Friday, the Coyotes sent a statement from Miller, who is now at the University of North Dakota:
"I am extremely sorry about the bullying incident that occurred in 2016 while I was in eighth grade. I was young, immature and feel terrible about my actions. At the time, I did not understand the gravity of my actions and how they can affect other people. I have issued an apology to the family for my behavior, completed cultural diversity and sensitivity training and volunteered within my community with organizations such as Little Miracles. Over the past four years, I have had a lot of time to reflect and grow and I am very grateful to the Arizona Coyotes for taking a chance on me. I promise not to let them down. Moving forward, I want to be a leader for this cause and help end bullying and racism."
A spokesman for the University of North Dakota said the school was aware of Miller's past and was aware he had communicated the incident to all NHL teams prior to the draft. The spokesman said the incident happened four years ago.
'We feel we can trust this player'
Miller's stock fell in the draft in no small part because of his run-in with the legal system. Chris Peters, an NHL draft and prospects analyst for ESPN, had Miller ranked No. 72 on his pre-draft top 100 player rankings, a third-round projection, and Miller fell to the Coyotes in the fourth round at No. 111.
"Obviously it's not a story that you want attached to a guy that you're picking, and I think there were some teams that were just content not to take that on," Peters said. "At the same time, there were others that were generally unconcerned. Not to say they didn't care, but it wasn't going to be a factor in whether they drafted him."
The Coyotes apparently saw enough personal growth and maturity in Miller to take him, and they weren't the first team to do so. Other teams in Miller's career looked into his past but brought him in.
USA Hockey and the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League, Miller's junior team last season before he went on to the University of North Dakota, looked into the defenseman's background. The university also investigated.
"I have generally found that a lot of these guys have learned from their mistakes. It kind of crystallizes for them that what they love and care about can be taken away from them because of their own actions," Peters said. "He's been poked and prodded quite a bit. Everybody did their due diligence and they still said 'We feel that we can trust this player to be part of our team.'"
Miller is a good teammate and hard worker who went from little playing time to major minutes on the ice because he dedicated himself to getting better, one of his coaches said.
Storm coach Anthony Noreen took calls from NHL teams asking for his opinion of Miller. Noreen coached Miller with the under-19 U.S. national team and traded for him in the USHL.
He spoke highly of Miller's character and hockey ability while acknowledging that his bullying past is part of his story.
"I give him credit, he never runs away from it. He owns it. I certainly do not think it defines who he is right now," Noreen said. "Here's a kid who made a mistake when he was 14 years old. He's grown from it, he's learned from it, he's changed. He's become a responsible young man."
Could a reunion between Shane Doan and the Arizona Coyotes be in the works?
The Coyotes and their long-time former captain have had conversations about the possibility about his return to the organization, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has learned.
What role he would serve with the team is unclear at this time.
Doan -- who is the Coyotes' all-time leader in games played (1,540), goals (402), assists (570) and points (972) -- joined the NHL's hockey operations department three years ago after retiring following the 2016-17 season.
Selected seventh overall in the 1995 NHL Draft, Doan spent his entire NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes franchise. He served as captain for each of his final 13 campaigns. The two-time all-star received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for community service in 2010, and captured the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2012.
