The 20-year-old defenseman was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, but the organization had done it waived his rights when it was reported that the latter had bullied a young, developmentally disabled, African-American classmate in high school.

The Bruins signed Miller to a rookie contract on Friday, drawing criticism from fans as well as from the team’s players, including captain Patrice Bergeron. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added that without major changes, Miller would not be eligible to play on his track.

“I’m sad that we made so many people unhappy with our decision,” Neely said. I’m proud of the Bruins organization and what it stands for. In this case we failed.

The offer to Miller was withdrawn Sunday night. In a statement, Neely then defended himself, saying the Bruins believe Miller’s behavior was an isolated incident and that the team changed their minds in light of new information.

The organization also hadn’t spoken to his victim, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, or even his family.

We didn’t have enough information, Neely said. We could have dug deeper.

The leader met Miller, his mother and his agent Eustace King before offering him this contract. He said he shouldn’t have assumed the Bruins’ approval process included a meeting with the Meyer-Crothers family.

When Neely was asked why this had not been done, he replied that there was a great question and that he had to find the answer.

The Bruins president reiterated that when he met Miller, he felt he was repentant and deserved a chance to play in the NHL.

I felt like it was a 14 year old kid who made a very bad decision and did terrible things. He is now 20 years old. So I figured he’d been working on it a lot over the past six years. […] I believe in second chances, but some may not deserve them.

Miller pleaded guilty to 14 years of assault and violation of the Ohio Schools Act. He and another teenager were accused of tricking Meyer-Crothers into eating a candy they had previously dunked on the bottom of a urinal. Footage from the surveillance video shows the two young men kicking and hitting the victim.

Meyer-Crothers’ mother, Joni, recounted thisArizona Republic that Miller began bullying his son in the second grade, in addition to using racist language about him.

The Coyotes drafted Miller despite being aware of his 2016 conviction. The team parted ways with him after, like the Bruins, he faced much criticism and learned more about the incident.

Miller sent a letter to all NHL teams admitting what happened and apologizing for his behavior. Joni Meyer-Crothers said Miller never personally apologized to Isaiah or any member of his family except through the letter the court ordered him to do.

As a junior year of high school, I made a very poor decision and showed great immaturity,” Miller said in a statement. I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret this incident and have apologized to this person. Since that incident, I have a better understanding of all the consequences of my actions, which I was not able to do almost seven years ago.

Miller missed the entire 2020-21 season before recording 39 goals and 44 assists for Team Tri-City in the USHL. He was named the league’s most outstanding player and defender after scoring marks for goals and points from a guard.

Neely apologized again to the Meyer-Crothers family. He plans to contact them. You shouldn’t have to delve into these events anymore. We could have done a better job.