Arizona Coyotes must part ways with Mitchell Miller immediately
The Arizona Coyotes can fix a wrong they made at the 2020 draft by parting ways with Mitchell Miller.
In the fourth round of the 2020 draft, the Arizona Coyotes made their first pick of the draft. They picked Mitchell Miller, a defenseman from the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. The Coyotes made a huge mistake in doing so, and now that mistake is rightfully being scrutinized.
Miller was graded by many as being a second-round talent. However, his off the ice issues are a bunch of red flags. I personally had him completely off my board. Despite his publicized off the ice issues, the Coyotes still decided to take a chance on him.
In a recent article, AZ Central took a look at those off the ice issues. Those issues boil down to what he did to a mentally disabled Black student four years ago. Miller did much worse than bully the poor kid. He downright assaulted him. I can say that because that’s literally what he was charged with in juvenile court.
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If you’d like to read more about his history, you can read this article, but I must warn you, the details are pretty disturbing.
The worst part of it all is apparently Miller didn’t even truly apologize to the kid he victimized, other than a court-mandated letter (which the family says they never received). That’s downright disturbing and it shows a complete lack of remorse or guilt.
From the Coyotes, who admitted they were aware of the incident, it shows a lack of accountability. That’s something the team has lacked for years. Earlier this year, CEO and President Xavier Gutierrez was selected to be a part of an NHL committee that pledged to stop racism. But apparently he didn’t care enough about racism to not draft a racist who has assaulted a Black person.
There’s only one choice for the Coyotes. They have to part ways with Miller. It was a mistake to draft him, especially since the Coyotes admitted they were aware of his assault charge. Yes, it was four years ago. But so far, Miller hasn’t shown too much remorse.
Next. Seattle Kraken Mock Expansion Draft. dark
I’m all for giving people second chances if they prove they’re truly sorry and are willing to make amends. Unless I’m missing something, Miller’s not showing any signs of repenting for what he did. Hockey has deep, undeniable roots in racism and it’s time for the NHL to step up and start ripping them out, no matter how painful it might be to do it.