Apologetic Neely: Bruins 'failed' in vetting Miller

Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said the signing of imaginable Mitchell Miller was his biggest regret arsenic an NHL executive, and helium expressed interest implicit failures successful the team's vetting process.

"I'm highly upset that we person made a batch of radical unhappy with our decision," Neely said Monday. "I instrumentality a batch of pridefulness successful the Bruins enactment and what we basal for, and we failed there."

The Bruins signed Miller, a 20-year-old defenseman, past Friday to an entry-level contract with the volition of sending him to AHL Providence. The team, however, announced Sunday nighttime that it was parting ways with Miller aft aggravated backlash from fans, the team's ain players and commissioner Gary Bettman.

Said Bettman connected Saturday: "I can't archer you that he'll ever beryllium eligible to travel into the NHL."

Miller was a fourth-round prime by the Arizona Coyotes successful 2020 but his draft rights were relinquished erstwhile a communicative was published astir however helium and different mediate schoolhouse classmate were convicted successful juvenile tribunal successful 2016 of assaulting and bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black developmentally disabled classmate. In the report, Meyer-Crothers' parent alleged Miller began abusing her lad successful 2nd people and repeatedly utilized racist slurs.

Neely said the anticipation of signing Miller was archetypal broached successful August. The Bruins said Sunday that they made their determination to chopped ties with him "based connected caller information." When asked astir that Monday, Neely said the information that the Bruins ne'er reached retired to the household of Meyer-Crothers "was concerning to me" and that it was "absolutely" a occupation with the team's vetting process.

"We similar to instrumentality pridefulness successful what we bash successful the assemblage and we clasp ourselves accountable," said Neely, who said helium plans to scope retired to the household of Meyer-Crothers himself. "We dropped the shot and I'm present to apologize.

"I'll accidental it again: I privation to apologize to Isaiah and his family. It's thing that they shouldn't proceed to spell through."

Why did the Bruins judge Miller deserved a 2nd accidental successful the NHL, aft the Coyotes passed?

"From everything I've heard, helium was moving connected himself, moving successful programs to amended himself," Neely said. "I was nether the content it was a 14-year-old kid who made a really, truly atrocious determination and did immoderate horrible things, and he's 20 years aged now. I was nether the content that he, successful the past six years, had done a batch of enactment connected himself."

The Bruins president, however, said the squad "could've dug deeper" connected Miller earlier signing him.

The archetypal backlash came from NHL fans and rapidly extended to Boston's ain players, who were connected the roadworthy successful Toronto and had been told that Miller would beryllium signed. Captain Patrice Bergeron called Miller's actions "unacceptable, and we don't basal by that."

On Saturday, portion successful Finland for the NHL Global Series, Bettman said Miller's aboriginal successful the league was uncertain. The NHLPA told ESPN connected Saturday that it had not been informed of immoderate suspension oregon disciplinary enactment by the NHL towards Miller.

Neely said Boston GM Don Sweeney spoke with lawman commissioner Bill Daly past Wednesday astir signing Miller.

"From what I gather, [NHL lawman commissioner Bill Daly] said that Mitchell would person to get successful beforehand of Gary Bettman if helium was going to play successful the NHL," Neely said.

Neely called the signing of Miller his biggest regret "by far" arsenic an executive. It came astatine a clip erstwhile the Bruins are disconnected to their champion commencement successful franchise past (10-2-0).

"The timing of it was ne'er astir apt going to beryllium good," Neely said. "I deliberation it got down to the constituent of [whether] we're doing it oregon not. And we made the incorrect decision."

ESPN's Ryan S. Clark contributed to this report..