You guys thinking this will ruin his life are a bunch of drama queens. He will go to North Dakota and play hockey. He has plenty of time to actually do something to show he has changed and can work his way back into the league. Lip service on a letter isn’t what he should do. He needs to actually put in some effort. He can start by actually apologizing to the kid he bullied.

Thank goodness. Never forgive and never forget. Obviously no one can ever repent or make amends for their actions because our actions, no matter how far in the past they are, define who we are forever. Make a racist comment in 1980? Buddy you better believe you shouldn't have a job in 2020, there's no sorry that can excuse that. We live in a post-forgiveness, tolerant utopian society and there's no place for "reformed" bigots there.

/sarcasm
- ddMoose

You seem to miss the point that this kid didn’t make amends or repent. He got caught. He got found guilty. He did what was legally required but has never apologized to his victim. He only reached out to the 31 teams because they could do something for him.

And this wasn’t a one time event. He bullied this kid for years because that’s who he is. He’s not some guy who got drunk and did something stupid or said something bad. It’s something he gladly did ongoing. Holy crap the first thing any real parent would do is make their kid apologize.

I completely disagree with this decision to go back on their selection. The kid was 14 years old. Yes, right and wrong are known. However some kids are part of the wrong crowd growing up, whether it’s following a leader or trying to impress peers (not with the appropriate tactics). He was sentenced to community service, which he completed. I don’t think it’s fair that punishment served wasn’t punishment enough because the public sees racism as a hot topic. Admit it or don’t, if this was a white kid bullying another white kid... 95% of you don’t say anything. I’m aware that the disabled part plays a factor. However, is bullying someone deemed normal any more right than if they are disabled? To all of those who kicked up a fuss over this, you may have cost a young man an NHL career... furthermore, the crushing reality of being drafted and suddenly stripped of that status will forever haunt this guy’s future. A guy wasn’t a model citizen in his youth, and now you’ve prevented him from having the chance to make the NHL (yes, he’s now black balled... or african-American balled if that’s the way you Over-the-top politically-correct people want to have it written). The public just bullied this kid out of a career!!!

I completely disagree with this decision to go back on their selection. The kid was 14 years old. Yes, right and wrong are known. However some kids are part of the wrong crowd growing up, whether it’s following a leader or trying to impress peers (not with the appropriate tactics). He was sentenced to community service, which he completed. I don’t think it’s fair that punishment served wasn’t punishment enough because the public sees racism as a hot topic. Admit it or don’t, if this was a white kid bullying another white kid... 95% of you don’t say anything. I’m aware that the disabled part plays a factor. However, is bullying someone deemed normal any more right than if they are disabled? To all of those who kicked up a fuss over this, you may have cost a young man an NHL career... furthermore, the crushing reality of being drafted and suddenly stripped of that status will forever haunt this guy’s future. A guy wasn’t a model citizen in his youth, and now you’ve prevented him from having the chance to make the NHL (yes, he’s now black balled... or african-American balled if that’s the way you Over-the-top politically-correct people want to have it written). The public just bullied this kid out of a career!!!
- Burnt_juice

So everyone who said this kid is an asshat cost him his NHL career but this kid being a POS asshat didn't cost him his NHL career? Maybe we could blame the victim too. If that black kid had been white and not disabled this guy wouldn't have had to bully him... It's like he was asking for it. WTF is wrong with you?

So everyone who said this kid is an asshat cost him his NHL career but this kid being a POS asshat didn't cost him his NHL career? Maybe we could blame the victim too. If that black kid had been white and not disabled this guy wouldn't have had to bully him... It's like he was asking for it. WTF is wrong with you?
- Queenie_5_hole

Like a politician, you’ve twisted my words into something I did not say. If every 14 year old who bullied someone wasn’t allowed to play hockey, we’d have half a league at best. My point is that this happened long ago, and if you’re thinking clearly you’d understand that even though the behaviour was unacceptable at the time it was done, poor judgement at 14 years old shouldn’t (potentially) change his entire life. And had this been (same race) bullying, it wouldn’t have come to a boiling point like this. Like it or not, bullying happens in school. Kids are jerks. But people can grow up and grow out of poor behaviour. If you think people never change, then why advocate a stance in anti bullying or anti racism? If people don’t change, they will always be bullies or racists and making an example of someone wouldn’t do any good. Forgiveness goes a long way. But I’ve learned the loudest people in a protest are typically flooded with information from only one side and refuse to hear from the other side. I’ve been bullied, and I still disagree with this decision. End of comments

Like a politician, you’ve twisted my words into something I did not say. If every 14 year old who bullied someone wasn’t allowed to play hockey, we’d have half a league at best. My point is that this happened long ago, and if you’re thinking clearly you’d understand that even though the behaviour was unacceptable at the time it was done, poor judgement at 14 years old shouldn’t (potentially) change his entire life. And had this been (same race) bullying, it wouldn’t have come to a boiling point like this. Like it or not, bullying happens in school. Kids are jerks. But people can grow up and grow out of poor behaviour. If you think people never change, then why advocate a stance in anti bullying or anti racism? If people don’t change, they will always be bullies or racists and making an example of someone wouldn’t do any good. Forgiveness goes a long way. But I’ve learned the loudest people in a protest are typically flooded with information from only one side and refuse to hear from the other side. I’ve been bullied, and I still disagree with this decision. End of comments
- Burnt_juice

Your entire premise is incorrect. Nobody is stopping him from continuing his hockey career. The Coyotes are choosing not to associate with this kid because he is an asshat; and that is their right. He's still going to college and playing for a quality team. Lots of undrafted players make the NHL. But yeah, the kid is going to have to earn it a little bit. AND it's this kids fault for not really trying to make amends for what he did. All he needed to do was apologize to the victim. Something ever half decent parent would have had their kid do. But he didn't because that's apparently not how he feels. So he paid a price for his stupidity and lack of remorse. That's his decision and the Coyotes made theirs. If he grows up and actually tried to demonstrate some effort to improve himself and apologize he'll get past it. All your doing is enabling his type of poopty behavior. And the behavior is the problem not that consequences of that behavior.

Second end of comments....