Prospect Info: 2020 Draft #111 - Mitchell Miller (RHD) [Mod Warning post #312]

[GuelphStormer]

Im disappointed by the frequency of apologetic posts here that continue to say "hey, we all did bad things when we were his age". Sorry, but his crimes were despicable. There's no excuse. None. Zero. What he did, and his reaction after being convicted is inexcusable.

Instead, as others have said, let's move on and see what happens moving forward but please let's just move past this silly argument that what he did wasn't all that bad. It was. It was very bad. Y'all just look stupid when you attempt to excuse his behaviour.

 

[Alberta Yote]

Upon further reflection I do believe people can alter their behavior. I hope this kid has come to a reckoning and goes on to get a good degree, a job that provides for him and possible family, and spends his life trying to educate others about the crap he has done.

I also hope he never plays a game for this organization at any level.

 

[Edenjung]

I think he should work in a workshop for people with mental disabilities for 6-10 months.

That way he gets to know what he did and learns a lesson.
His behavior is just despicable and not acceptable.

So if the organisation can get him to do that and not make it a Pr stunt but a demand to him to do that it will make this look a bit better and also it teaches him a freaking lesson.

 

[Mosby]

Why are you looking for some nefarious plot here?

You’re almost behaving as poorly as the guy who wrote the friggin story to begin with and how it’s currently being pushed on social media.

I don't think I'm coming across clearly. I think these were the sequence of events:

1. Marty Hanzal retires
2. AZ Republic writes the Miller article
3. Coyotes PR dept sees article and says, "oh shit, this is not a good look."
4. Coyotes PR says, "What can we do to turn the page?"
5. Coyotes PR comes up with, "Let's put something together on Marty Hanzal."

This is PR 101.

 

[Mosby]

I've said it previously as well but the Coyotes have to be exceptionally careful in rebuilding their brand. You can build 50 deck hockey rinks in the community but all it takes is one misstep like this to erase a lot of that goodwill.

We've put our neck on the line. This kid better be the next Scott Niedermayer.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

One entertaining aspect of this thread is that you can really tell what age groups the posters come from by their responses.

I readily admit that I'm an old, and when I was growing up there were coaches in kids' sports who would look at a guy like Mitchell Miller and say, "That's the kind of unfeeling aggression that I like in a player." Character dysfunction got swept under the rug and handwaved away because SPORTS and also because, frankly, bullying of this sort was normalized back then. What little accountability there was could be countered by crocodile tears if the kid got caught, but "snitches get stitches" so many of them got away scot free.

It's refreshing to see today that at least some lip service is being paid to holding people accountable for malfeasance, at least on a micro level.

 

[BUX7PHX]

I haven't read the incident report or the court documents. My question is how long does it take to change someone's mind, be rehabilitated? Is it 6 years.... 10 years? When he scores 40 goals for the Coyotes. When he becomes a pillar in the local community? Does he have to carry this over his head for the rest of his life? Can he do anything now and going forward to make amends or is he forever a "bad person"? My guess is that many of the people on this blog would not like to have everything in their childhood be public knowledge. Is there nothing that you did as a teenager that would be frowned upon? I am not defending this kid for what he did, but there has to be sometime in the future in that he is forgiven.

What you are saying is valid and fair.

However, I would like to think that none of us did something directly to someone else of this powerful ilk. Maybe I am naive to what others are capable of doing, but actually doing this and following through is a lot. I think we all have been caught up in thought about something happening to this person or that in the moment, but that is all that it is. This seemed planned and intentional thought which then converted into action.

I would like to think that if this was some sort of prank gone awry, the prank victim would have been more than one person, and they would have been good, if not, best friends. Not a kid who is clearly different in many ways.

UND's statement says that they are working with that. I know that when I was in college athletics, they had athletic therapists (able to help out mentally, identify problems, etc) who were able to work with the student-athletes. So, as an example, if you failed a drug test, you had to go make appointments with that individual. I think there are a mandatory number of visits that had to be made, although it did not necessarily mean you were suspended from athletic activity.

I would be less concerned about UND not taking this seriously. I am more concerned that Miller will not do so.

 

[BUX7PHX]

I don't think I'm coming across clearly. I think these were the sequence of events:

1. Marty Hanzal retires
2. AZ Republic writes the Miller article
3. Coyotes PR dept sees article and says, "oh shit, this is not a good look."
4. Coyotes PR says, "What can we do to turn the page?"
5. Coyotes PR comes up with, "Let's put something together on Marty Hanzal."

This is PR 101.

Bear in mind that this story also hit the banner of Yahoo as well. A lot of people were probably unaware but when Yahoo or other search engines get a hold, that also progressed this.

 

[rt]

Im disappointed by the frequency of apologetic posts here that continue to say "hey, we all did bad things when we were his age". Sorry, but his crimes were despicable. There's no excuse. None. Zero. What he did, and his reaction after being convicted is inexcusable.

Instead, as others have said, let's move on and see what happens moving forward but please let's just move past this silly argument that what he did wasn't all that bad. It was. It was very bad. Y'all just look stupid when you attempt to excuse his behaviour.

I’ve never seen anyone even insinuate that his actions were anything but despicable. I’ve seen a lot of people ride in on white horses to fight these straw men they’ve invented, though. No shortage of that.

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

This kid can kick rocks. For that matter, anyone saying "We all did stuff when we were kids that we regret" can kick rocks, too. I never did any of the horrific stuff Miller did, and I don't know anyone else who did, either. If you have stuff on this level that you did when you were that age, I don't even know what to say. Go see a therapist and figure out why, I guess.
If this Miller kid showed an ounce of remorse, I might--might--say "Let's see what he does in regards to educating himself, etc."
Nope. Screw him. And screw his parents for enabling that behaviour. They're all trash and the Coyotes shouldn't have drafted him. It's remarkable how consistently they do the wrong thing.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

For me, the entertaining thing is, we draft a scumbag, and all these outsiders come in to 'help' us talk about how awful it is we drafted a scumbag...what, did they lock the main board thread or something?

 

[The Feckless Puck]

For me, the entertaining thing is, we draft a scumbag, and all these outsiders come in to 'help' us talk about how awful it is we drafted a scumbag...what, did they lock the main board thread or something?

I like to think that their incredulity about how it never, ever seems to get better for us is so vast that the main board cannot contain it.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

I wonder if all these posters also visited the USA Hockey, UND and Tricity message boards to lodge their protests? Or was it just easier to pile onto us instead? Too much time on people's hands, plain and simple.

The kid did a bad thing for which he shows little remorse. He's served his punishment and is a free citizen being judged still. We'll see how he gets on.

 

[Jakey53]

If you think Shane Doan inaccurately being a francophone is the same thing with someone being found guilty for repeated assaulting a mentally handicapped person I don't know what to tell you.

4th round picks are literally loterry picks. Coyotes which have already been punished for bad behaviour literally used their first pick in the draft to select a guy who racially abused and assaulted a mentally challenged guy for years.

You're right he's living in a fish bowl. The second he gets in the leagru every player of color will be looking to "finish" their checks. Can't believe the unnecessary mistake made by coyote management on this pick.

This is not even in the same realm as Shane doan. He doesn't deserve this opportunity. Especially in a struggling market like Arizona.

Give it a rest. He deserves this opportunity because of his hockey skills. He made a mistake, we all do, including you. You don't know the young man, but you and others come on here spouting off like they know everything about him. I'm sure he and his family know what he did was wrong, and I'm sure he is being advised by lawyers and other people around him what to say.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

Give it a rest. He deserves this opportunity because of his hockey skills. He made a mistake, we all do, including you. You don't know the young man, but you and others come on here spouting off like they know everything about him. I'm sure he and his family know what he did was wrong, and I'm sure he is being advised by lawyers and other people around him what to say.

C'mon Jakey, it was more than a "Mistake". I'm not going to judge the kid, I'm judging the "act". The act was heinous pure and simple. My own personal feelings is that I will never root for the kid to achieve success in professional hockey, but what I will hope for is that the kid achieves success as a human being.

 

[Schemp]

So have they decapitated his gonads yet? If they had, then I don't want the Coyotes to give him a contract.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

I find myself envious of the charmed lives so many have lived to have never personally come across something like this.

Does not matter how egregious the error in judgment was, the kid did what he was required to do. We can't read his mind as to any level of remorse and most importantly it's in the past, nothing can turn the hands of time backward to erase this from any of the parties involved. While I can completely understand the abused Mother and Father for the feelings they have, it's time to move on..... for all involved.

I wish for both of them to have incredible success at whatever they wind up doing and the grace to handle not only what has happened in the past, but the myriad of situations that life will throw their way in the future.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I find myself envious of the charmed lives so many have lived to have never personally come across something like this.

It's not "charmed lives." It's simply what your personality is and how you approach a mistake - or, in this case, a lengthy pattern of bad behavior stretching over years.

Miller had been torturing this kid for the better part of a decade until he was caught. His first impulse wasn't to apologize, but to sneer at the family and intimidate them by standing outside their house. Absolutely the only thing he has shown since was regret that he got caught.

The other kid involved apparently had a real epiphany, and beyond showing contrition in court, he went and behaved like a man - apologized in person to the boy and his family.

This isn't rocket science or advanced math. This is simply a question whether he buries what happened and hopes people forget it, or if he makes a real change. All the evidence so far is pointing to the former, so that's why a lot of us aren't willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Miller could solve this whole thing just by doing something genuine, like contacting the family, rather than issuing a blizzard of prepared statements.

 

[rt]

The other kid involved apparently had a real epiphany, and beyond showing contrition in court, he went and behaved like a man - apologized in person to the boy and his family.

Im pretty sure Craig Harris f***ed that up. I’m pretty sure the victims mother is referring to the court room apology. Miller provided a letter as instructed and doesn’t seem to have apologized in court. Not sure if he declined the option or wasn’t given the option or what.

The victims mother has since stated that her son and the McKie boy had been friends for years but she would never classify Miller as a friend. Could explain the difference in post-ruling behavior.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Im pretty sure Craig Harris f***ed that up. I’m pretty sure the victims mother is referring to the court room apology. Miller provided a letter as instructed and doesn’t seem to have apologized in court. Not sure if he declined the option or wasn’t given the option or what.

The victims mother has since stated that her son and the McKie boy had been friends for years but she would never classify Miller as a friend. Could explain the difference in post-ruling behavior.

Well, if I were Miller's crisis management PR consultant, I'd set him up with an in-person meeting yesterday with that family and settle everything once and for all. The wagon-circling isn't a good look.

 

[Dead Coyote]

The family never received an apology from him. The other party involved notably did show remorse to the judge and apologized to the family, which was accepted.

Mitchell didn't. He apologized to 31 NHL teams before he apologized to the victim. The Coyotes didn't contact the victim or his family. It seems like they didn't really look into it much at all and took the kid at his word.

He never apologized outside of a court mandated letter. Which the families apparently never received.

The victim was beaten bloody and had his head smashed into a wall repeatedly by the convicted. Not to mention being forced to eat something that was pissed on.

It was also caught on surveillance cameras.

The other kid was moved to tears when apologizing in court. Mitchell showed no remorse. And has continued to show no remorse...accept when it would benefit him. Like, when talking to 31 NHL teams who want to make him a millionaire. For his entire life starting at 2nd grade, this kid bullied a mentally disabled one, was racist, and caused physical harm and trauma to another one. No, I don't think he should lose his life for it. Even if he doesn't show remorse. But that's a pretty far cry from being allowed into the NHL and making millions of dollars.

Arizona's response to all of this is incredibly disappointing. They acknowledge that they knew about all of this, but didn't listen to anything the victim's family said? Didn't even contact them? They interviewed him and didn't ask any hard questions or really mention the incident at all. And they took him with their 4th round pick. Their first possible one. Many teams had him on the DND list, but we were evidently eager to draft him. What's the difference between those other teams and us? Are we better judges of character than multiple other teams? Are we better judges of character than the Judge who noted he had no remorse?

I really don't know, but I know that I'm pretty f***ing done with this franchise.

Could have apologized to the victim.
Could have shown remorse to the Judge.
Could have interviewed better.
Could have not bullied someone for nearly 10 years.

Could have, should have, would have. Didn't.

 

[XX]

Y'all just look stupid when you attempt to excuse his behaviour.

That's not going to stop people. I have no idea why people are going to the mat for a shithead picked in the 4th round that so far hasn't made things right or even really attempted to do so. It's very embarrassing.

The Coyotes have got to get him heavily involved in community service at UND to even qualify for a contract. Something other than trying to bury this.

And what a shitty feeling for guys taken after him.

 

[Dead Coyote]

When I was 15, I brought a knife to my highschool, stole it off my step brothers bedside table and brought it to school because I wanted to look cool. I was the one who got teased and bullied a lot. I wanted to fit in. As it turns out, that was a really dumb decision that nearly got me expelled. I wasn't intending on hurting anyone with it, but I opened my mouth and got slapped for it.

That very nearly affected my life negatively. And I wasn't a good kid. There was a time when my family thought I stole something super valuable and locked me in my room for 3 days with everything I loved taken away. That's the kind of person I was. But I showed remorse and I learned that what I was taught previously was wrong, and that I needed to change, and I did.

So don't come and say to me that I don't know what it's like. That I lived a charmed life. I was abused by my mother for 14 years of my life and it took me years to learn how to be a human being. I'm clinically depressed and I have autism and ADHD. I've never once said the N word in my life, although my parents are pretty racist, especially when drunk. I've never once grabbed someone's skull and smashed it into a wall.

Everyone makes choices. You have to face the consequences and become a better person. And as far as I'm concerned it sure doesn't seem like this kid has become a better person.

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

So have they decapitated his gonads yet? If they had, then I don't want the Coyotes to give him a contract.

Gonads don't have heads, so they can't be decapitated.

 

[rt]

Well, if I were Miller's crisis management PR consultant, I'd set him up with an in-person meeting yesterday with that family and settle everything once and for all. The wagon-circling isn't a good look.

He’s a 4th round pick from Ohio. He doesn’t have a team of PR people. Lol. He doesn’t even have a pro contract.