Cam Neely Apologizes, Says Bruins 'Made the Wrong Decision' Signing Mitchell Miller

Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said the team made a mistake in signing prospect Mitchell Miller.

"The timing of it was never probably going to be good," Neely told reporters Monday. "I think it got down to the point of [whether] we're doing it or not. And we made the wrong decision."

The Bruins received criticism after signing Miller, who admitted in an Ohio juvenile court in 2016 to bullying former classmate Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. On Sunday, the team announced it was parting ways with the player.

"We like to take pride in what we do in the community and we hold ourselves accountable," Neely said Monday. "We dropped the ball and I'm here to apologize."

Miller had been a fourth-round draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020, but the team renounced his rights after details of the player's history were revealed. There were multiple incidents of bullying and harassing Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with disabilities. Other students confirmed his repeated use of the N-word directed toward Meyer-Crothers.

Miller showed remorse after his signing with the Bruins, although he indicated it was a single action that took place when he was in eighth grade.

"I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual," he said in a statement. "Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was not consulted before the Bruins signed Miller to a deal, adding the player is not currently eligible to play in the NHL:

Neely indicated Monday that he didn't expect as much backlash as the team received.

"Well initially, I was I was thinking it was going to be, 'OK, this kid deserves a second chance,'" he said. "And, you know, I thought there would be some people that were going to be upset about it, but to the extent of this, I misread that."

Miller, now 20, spent the 2021-22 season with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.