Mitchell Miller’s agent releases statement after Bruins’ controversial signing

Eustace King wrote that he "understand[s] the gravity of the situation and respect[s] the fierce emotions and reactions to the initial reporting and commentary around Mr. Miller’s past behavior."

The Bruins are under fire for their decision to sign defenseman Mitchell Miller.

By Amin Touri, The Boston Globe

November 6, 2022

1 minute to read

As the Bruins continue to take plenty of flak from the hockey community over their signing of defenseman Mitchell Miller, the 2020 draft pick of the Coyotes whose rights were renounced after the revelation of years of abuse of a developmentally disabled classmate, Miller’s agent released a statement about his client Sunday.

Eustace King, cofounder of O2K Sports Management, explained his agency’s decision to represent Miller, citing “months of research, deliberation, introspection within our organization, and conversations with outside advisors” before taking him on.

“As one of the very few Black NHL agents in the league, a member of the NHL’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and as a Black man who has spent his entire life in hockey, I understand the gravity of the situation and respect the fierce emotions and reactions to the initial reporting and commentary around Mr. Miller’s past behavior,” King wrote on social media.

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— Eustace King (@EustaceKing) November 6, 2022

He described Miller’s agreement to work with programs and community projects centered around bullying prevention and racial equality, and King’s own belief in “restorative justice.”

Miller was a fourth-round pick by Arizona in 2020 whose draft rights and enrollment at the University of North Dakota were renounced by those both organizations. A report by the Arizona Republic detailed Miller’s admitted assault, bullying, and racial abuse of a Black developmentally disabled classmate in eighth grade.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday that Miller hadn’t been granted the right to play in the NHL despite his signing, and may never be.