‘THE RIGHT THING’

Arizona Coyotes Renounce Top Draft Pick After Report He Bullied Black Disabled Classmate

The Coyotes picked Miller in the fourth round of the October 7 NHL draft.

The Arizona Coyotes have renounced draft rights for their top 2020 pick Mitchell Miller after learning of a 2016 assault charge against him for allegedly bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities, according to TSN. “We do not condone this type of behaviour but embraced this as a teachable moment to work with Mitchell to make him accountable for his actions and provide him with an opportunity to be a leader on anti-bullying and anti-racism efforts,” team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in a statement. “We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights. On behalf of the Arizona Coyotes ownership and our entire organization, I would like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family,” Gutierrez said. The team's general manager, Bill Armstrong, agreed with the decision, saying that it was “the right thing.” The Coyotes picked Miller in the fourth round of the October 7 NHL draft.