A day after the Arizona Coyotes renounced Mitchell Miller’s draft rights, the University of North Dakota announced Friday that Miller is no longer a member of its men’s hockey program.
“I have been closely monitoring the situation concerning men’s hockey student-athlete Mitchell Miller, who was involved in a situation as a youth in 2016. We expect our students to live by our values in the classroom, in the community and when representing the university on the field of play,” said UND president Andrew Armacost in a statement.
Armacost said Miller, who is a freshman at UND, can remain a student and it “will continue to support his future intellectual and interpersonal growth.”
The decision is part of the continuing fallout after it was revealed earlier this week that Miller — who was selected in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Coyotes — was charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act in February of 2016 after he and another student admitted to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a classmate who is Black and has a learning disability.
News of Mitchell’s conviction was first brought to the surface by the Arizona Republic.
Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, who is now 18, told the Republic that Miller had taunted him for years growing up and called him names like “brownie” and used the “N-word” while repeatedly hitting him. He said it “hurt my heart” when he saw the news that Miller had been drafted by the Coyotes.
