The Boston Bruins signed Mitchell Miller. Why does this matter? Because when he was 14 he went to juvenile court for bullying a fellow student. Since the signing was announced, the mother of the victim stated that Miller never apologized for his actions.
This signing was announced in the background of the ongoing issue of Hockey Canada and hockey culture overall. It came out at the same time the Brooklyn Net’s Kyrie Irving has been suspended for promoting Anti-Semitic rhetoric by sharing a documentary that promotes this and telling people to watch it. But how is this all connected?
Elite athletes rarely face the severe consequences they should face for their actions. They are put on a pedestal from a young age and told they are the best, most special people around. Miller did face some consequences when it came to school, but never when it came to hockey and that is where the issue lies. Certain things, including a public education, is a Right. Everyone has the Right to a safe education in a public institution. Miller was expelled from his school, but he was never denied an education. However, no one has the Right to play sports and they definitely do not have the Right to play at the highest level. That is where the Boston Bruins are in the wrong.
Why did I bring up Irving? Because much like Irving, Mitchell refuses to take responsibility for his actions and instead seems more bothered that he is being held responsible for his actions. After all the talk this weekend, people who consistently spoke out against Miller and came with evidence that he has not even apologized to the victim, his contract with the Bruins has been rescinded. This was after Gary Bettman said he wasn’t eligible to play in the NHL. This was after people online kept on digging up more information that showed Miller had not shown any remorse for his actions. To this day he has never apologized to his victim.
What is the lesson here? Consequences matter, but people have to show remorse and do the work to actively make up for what they did. You cannot undo past actions and past actions can certainly prevent you from achieving a certain level of employment. Refusing to do even the most basic work disqualifies you from a lot of employment. Remorse is a powerful feeling and not having any says all that needs to be said.
