Hockey prospect Mitchell Miller needs better guidance than he is getting

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

In recent years, news about hockey seems to bring less joy than it does frustration.

Be it Kyle Beach's story of abuse with the Chicago NHL team, the on-going controversy in Hockey Canada surrounding rape allegations by some members of its national junior teams, or Logan Mailloux being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens despite his plea not to be considered because of his being convicted of sharing sexual photos of a woman without her consent. It all leaves hockey fans with little encouragement or happiness about the culture that exists.

When Mitchell Miller, 20, was offered a contract by the Boston Bruins last week, there was an immediate response of anger from fans, media and even players.

As a 14-year-old, Miller pleaded guilty to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a 14-year-old Black student with developmental disabilities. Details of the assaults are disturbing, and as disturbing is the fact Miller, according to Meyer-Crothers' mother, has not yet reached out to the family in any meaningful way outside a court-mandated letter.

That is something I can't stop thinking about. Miller's apparent lack of remorse is unsettling. And so is pushing a young man into the spotlight again for the sake of hockey when he might not be ready for it, and all the while re-traumatizing the victim. 

In response to the backlash, Miller's agent, Eustace King of O2K Management, released a statement that mentioned the importance of Loretta Ross' ideology of "counsel not cancel," which I think is important. The on-line replies to the statement, though, were scathing, with many pointing out there was no mention of the victim. And many of the organizations cited in the statement as working with Miller publicly disagreed that was the case. 

Finally, on Sunday, Bruins president Cam Neely announced the organization had rescinded its offer to Miller, and on Monday admitted the team "dropped the ball" in properly vetting him and not consulting with the Meyer-Crothers family.

"It's a great question," Neely said when asked why the team hadn't reached out to the family. "Something I need to find out."

It's a terrible situation and for those who genuinely want to see Miller have a chance to work and improve himself and truly make amends with Meyer-Crothers, the hockey community and to himself. How can we expect this 20-year-old to navigate this mess on his own when all the people around him are making such deplorable decisions?

WATCH | NATIONAL: NHL signee deemed ineligible due to extreme bullying:

It gets even more ridiculous when we remember that this has happened before. Yes, friends I wrote about it then, too. In 2020 the Arizona Coyotes drafted Miller and much like what happened with the Bruins, they eventually backtracked and renounced their rights to him. We see the same errors again.

What does this tell us about hockey?

Neely acknowledged making the contract offer was a failure of the organization. But I don't believe it was a failure as much as it is indicative of how little hockey folks really want to make this sport better.