After a video surfaced on social media showing NCAA hockey player Carson Briere being pushed in a wheelchair down the stairs at a nightclub, criticism followed immediately. Video of Brière’s works, Originally posted by Julia Zhukovsky It received several million views on Twitter on Tuesday.
Eventually, the post reached Mercyhurst University, which responded to Zhukovsky’s post with a statement on the incident.
“Late afternoon this afternoon, Mercyhurst University became aware of a disturbing video in which one of our student-athletes is seen pushing an empty wheelchair down the stairs of a local establishment. Our Office of Student Conduct and police and The security department is investigating.
As per reports, the wheelchair was left at the top of a flight of stairs in the inaccessible establishment while the user was carried down the stairs to use the washroom. In his absence, Briere is seen pushing a wheelchair down the stairs before returning to the nightclub.
The incident was magnified by Brierre’s family ties, as he is the current Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager and son of 17-year NHL veteran Daniel Brierre. Less than a week earlier, Brier was hired as the Flyers’ interim general manager after the organization fired Chuck Fletcher from the role.
Briere, 23, recently finished his junior season with the Mercyhurst Lakers, having been twice named a member of the Atlantic Hockey Association All-Conference team.
Briere was previously dismissed from Arizona State University men’s hockey program for violating their team’s rules prior to transferring to Mercyhurst. In Brière’s own words, “The issue concerned partying too much, is probably the best way to put it.”
“I was just going out; I was not taking hockey seriously. It wasn’t anything bad, it just wasn’t committed to hockey, I was more committed to having fun at school,” Brier said in an article college hockey news highlights his “second chance” at Mercyhurst.
Many advocates, including Emily LaDou, author of Demystifying Disability spoke of the seriousness of Briere’s actions.
“It may seem like nothing more than immature, drunk behavior, but what Briere and his friends did is a horrific example of the complete disregard for the humanity of people with disabilities,” LaDau told Yahoo Sports Canada. “As a wheelchair user, I consider my chair an extension of my body, even though I am not physically sitting in it. Damaging my wheelchair means you are disrespecting me and my mobility The issue here is not just damaged property or poor choices; it is at full display of competence, privilege and entitlement.
Chanel Keenan, Community Manager for tomorrow’s hockeyand former Intersection Consultant for NHL The Seattle Kraken, was another voice that joined the chorus against Briere’s actions.
When Keenan entered the world of hockey, he asked a very simple question Regarding people with disabilities in hockey, “How can I shine a light on a community that hasn’t been traditionally embraced in hockey? I know I can’t be the only disabled fan of the game. There must be more.
Following Brière’s works, Keenan replied Another question is asking, “What’s so funny?”
“What’s so funny about being caught on camera sitting in a wheelchair that isn’t yours, and then rolling it down a flight of stairs?” Kenan wrote.
“What’s there to laugh about? Funny how long it takes to get a wheelchair. I’ve been lucky to get one within six months. Depending on how or if insurance is covered, it can take longer. Funny thing is, my power wheelchair costs about half as much as a brand new car. Funny how little regard we have for people with disabilities, really, for normal people. It made us He has become so cruel.
She continued: “A good friend helps her friend by taking her to the bathroom because the establishment is not wheelchair accessible. ‘Hey let’s put our wheelchair here, out of the way but for us after we use the bathroom. It’s easy to put you back in it.’ Throwing it down the stairs… only to come back in pieces. What’s funny about that?”
It is a question, along with issues of racism and homophobia in hockey, that have raised concerns among scholars and advocates about how hockey views people with disabilities, including those who play the sport.
As claimed in a recent article by Laura Meissner, professor and director of the School of Kinesiology at Western University ConversationHockey has long discriminated against and discriminated against people with disabilities, including funding and support for para-sport athletes. As Meissner wrote, Para ice hockey programs are often treated “as an afterthought” by “competent” governing bodies.
Briere and the Mercyhurst Lakers men’s hockey team were recently eliminated from the AHA playoffs, falling in two straight games to the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers. Currently, the incident is being investigated by Mercyhurst University and police.
