Isaiah Meyer-Crothers releases heartbreaking statement on Mitchell Miller's bullying: 'I can't take more of this'
BOSTON -- The victim of Mitchell Miller's bullying has released his first statement since the controversial prospect was signed -- and then had his contract rescinded -- by the Boston Bruins.
A lot has come to light about the bullying that Miller put Isaiah Meyer-Crothers through, and it's clear that it was not just the one incident that the Bruins highlighted in their release to announce the signing. In his statement, Meyer-Crothers said that he was bullied by Miller since the first grade, which included both physical bullying and racial slurs.
While Mitchell and his camp have tried to say that the two have made amends and are friends now, Meyer-Crothers said that simply is not true. Since the Bruins cut ties with Miller, Meyer-Crothers has had to deal with even more bullying over social media.
Here is Isaiah's full statement, which was released through the Hockey Diversity Alliance:
"I am Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. I would like to make a statement.
I have been bullied since I was in 1st grade.
There were not many Black kids at my school. I was called 'brownie' and 'n-----.'
Kids said my Black mom and dad didn't love me and that's why I have white parents.
Mitchell used to ask me to sit with him on the bus and then he and his friends would punch me in the head. This happened my whole time at school.
When I went to Junior High Mitchell would spit in my face and call me a N word. I stopped telling because they called me a snitch and I would get made fun of. I had to say I was 'his n-----' to sit at his table and he made me clean the whole table. He threw food at my face. I was called 'n-----' every day.
The office would tell me to stay away from him because he wasn't my friend. Once he got expelled from school, his friends started bullying me.
He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn't want to do. In junior high, I got beat up by him.
Everyone thought he was cool, but I don't see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life.
Middle of October, I was being texted constantly everyday and till I answered a Snapchat and IG message from Mitchell Miller. He asked me why I always have my parents doing stuff for me and why I can't speak for myself.
I told him I don't care what my parents say I'm old enough to speak for myself.
He told me he was sorry and [that the apology] didn't involve hockey.
He told me he was doing stuff in the community and helping the youth and he wanted to be my friend.
I told him, 'That's cool but where is the proof though?'
He didn't give me any [proof].
All the lies I have been told from him for so many years I don't believe what Mitchell told me.
He kept asking me to be his friend and that he has changed over the years from what he did.
I told him, 'I'm not just gonna be your friend after all you did to me.'
I am now getting messages on social media from people calling me 'a slow, retarded assclown' and 'you stupid n-----,' saying that 'I need help.'
Mitchell isn't my friend. It hurts my heart what he did to me.
So I just wanted to tell everyone -- when Mitchell says we're friends it isn't true.
I can't take more of this."
The Bruins reversed course with Miller just two days after signing him, and team president Cam Neely said Monday that the Bruins should have "dug deeper" on Miller's bullying. Neely added that it was "concerning" that no one from the Bruins reached out to the Meyer-Crothers family during the vetting process.
Now Isaiah's story has been heard, and it paints an even darker and more sinister version of what Miller put him through. Unfortunately, the Bruins signing Miller has brought a lot of pain felt by Meyer-Crothers back to the surface.
