Friday afternoon came with a decision — and boy, is ‘decision’ doing a lot of work here — from the Bruins to sign 2020 draft pick Mitchell Miller to an entry-level contract.

But unlike any other press release confirming a signing in 13 years covering this team, this press release did not begin with Miller’s height, weight, or stats. Instead, it began with a statement from Miller, originally selected by the Coyotes with a fourth-round pick (No. 111 overall pick), addressing the past transgressions that were enough for the Coyotes to walk away from him less than a month after drafting him.

“When I was in eighth grade, I made an extremely poor decision and acted very immaturely,” Miller said in the statement. “I bullied one of my classmates. I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual. Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago. I strive to be a better person and positively contribute to society.

“As a member of the Bruins organization, I will continue to participate in community programs to both educate myself and share my mistakes with others to show what a negative impact those actions can have on others.

“To be clear, what I did when I was 14 years old was wrong and unacceptable. There is no place in this world for being disrespectful to others and I pledge to use this opportunity to speak out against mistreating others.”

Convicted of bullying at age 14, the Ohio-born Miller’s torment of a developmentally disabled student was more than wrong and unacceptable. It was simply vile and reprehensible.

According to documents, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, the child bullied by Miller and his friends, was tricked into licking candy that Miller and another had wiped in a urinal. Meyer-Crothers, who is African American, was also called ‘brownie’, the N word, and told to “go pick cotton” by Miller and his friends, according to an absolutely brutal (and difficult to read) deep dive on Miller’s abhorrent history by AZCentral in 2020.

The details of this were more than enough for the Coyotes to drop Miller, and for North Dakota to pull Miller’s scholarship, and ultimately keep him out of hockey during the 2020-21 season.

This is not news to the Bruins.

“Representing the Boston Bruins is a privilege we take seriously as an organization,” Bruins president Cam Neely said in a statement confirming the signing. “Respect and integrity are foundational character traits we expect of our players and staff.  Prior to signing Mitchell, our Hockey Operations and Community Relations groups spent time with him over the last few weeks to better understand who he is as an individual and learn more about a significant mistake he made when he was in middle school.

“During this evaluation period, Mitchell was accountable for his unacceptable behavior and demonstrated his commitment to work with multiple organizations and professionals to further his education and use his mistake as a teachable moment for others. The expectation is that he will continue this important educational work with personal development and community programs as a member of the Bruins organization.”

Miller’s second chance at a career in professional hockey is coming after a gigantic year in the USHL, where he tallied 39 goals and 83 points in 60 games for the Tri-City Storm, and captured both USHL Player of the Year and USHL Defenseman of the Year honors for the 2021-22 season.

But speaking with reporters via Zoom on Friday, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney acknowledged the internal wrestling that came with the decision to sign Miller.

Sweeney repeatedly noted that this could be the wrong decision for the club, and noted that one of the team’s leaders asked a simple, ‘Why?’ when Sweeney informed him of the team’s decision to sign Miller.

Sweeney also said that while he was the one to pick Miller up from the airport, he would be the first one to drive him back “should things go sideways.”

Miller will begin his pro career with the P-Bruins.