College hockey player Carson Briere, the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Daniel Briere, said in a statement Wednesday that he has “false remorse” for pushing an empty wheelchair down the stairs at a bar on Saturday.
Brier, 23, is a junior center for the men’s hockey team at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. His father, Daniel Briere, 45, played 17 seasons in the NHL and became the Flyers’ interim general manager last Friday.
A video was posted on Twitter Tuesday showing Briere and two other people talking near an empty wheelchair at the top of the bar’s stairs. Briere sat in the wheelchair briefly, stood up, then pushed the wheelchair down the stairs.
A video of the incident was caught on a security camera in the stairwell.
The person who posted the video to social media tweeted that he knew the owner of the stroller and said it was stuck at the top of the stairs because the woman needed to be taken down the stairs to use the restroom.
In a statement to ESPN’s Michelle Steele on Wednesday, Carson Briere said, “I deeply regret my behavior on Saturday. There is no excuse for my actions and I will do everything in my power to make up for this critical judgment. .”
His father, Daniel Brier, also released a statement: “I was shocked to see Carson’s behavior in the video that went viral yesterday. They are unforgivable and completely at odds with our family’s values of treating people with respect. Carson is deeply sorry and takes full responsibility for his behavior.”
Carson Briere finished his third season at Mercyhurst, where he played in 30 games.
“Mercyhurst University has heard a significant outcry regarding a social media video of student Carson Brier pushing an empty wheelchair down a flight of stairs,” school spokeswoman Debbie Morton said Wednesday. “Mr Brier today issued a statement accepting responsibility for his actions, in which he admitted that his behavior showed a ‘lack of serious judgment’ and that he was ‘deeply sorry.’
“The actions depicted in the video are heartbreaking and violate our compassionate belief in the inherent dignity of every human being. We pray for and stand with all people with disabilities who have been victims and find such actions profound. Our tradition of compassion also extends to students and all those who do not make good choices. reminding people that they deserve to learn, to change their behavior, and to turn away from harmful practices.”
The school said in a statement Wednesday evening that “the three individuals in the video are student-athletes. Pending the outcome of the investigation process, all three have been suspended from their athletic teams in accordance with school policy.”
The Flyers did not respond to ESPN when asked if the Briere family would be involved in any way in replacing the damaged wheelchair.
Prior to joining Mercyhurst, Briere was a redshirt freshman for the Arizona State men’s hockey team during the 2019-20 season. However, he did not play for the Sun Devils and was released from the program in November 2019.
A source close to the ASU hockey program told ESPN that Briere was fired “for a clear violation of team rules” and that it was “uncultured” for the team. The source said Briere’s dismissal was not the result of a single incident, but rather a pattern of repeated behavior for which he received multiple warnings.
Briere told College Hockey News in 2021 that the program is not as committed to hockey as it had hoped.
“I just went out; I didn’t care about hockey. It wasn’t anything bad, it wasn’t just about hockey, I was just trying to have fun at school,” Brier said in an interview. “Too much partying, that’s probably the best way to put it.”
