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Danny and Carson Briere Issue Statements Following Viral Wheelchair Incident
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In response to the viral video of Danny Briere’s son pushing someone’s wheelchair down a flight of stairs, a pair of statements from father and son, courtesy of the Flyers:
Danny Briere statement:
“I was shocked to see Carson’s actions in the video that was shared on social media yesterday. They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family’s values of treating people with respect. Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behavior.”
Carson Briere statement:
“I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday. There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment.”
As noted in our earlier story, a Twitter user named Julia shared video of Carson Briere taking a wheelchair, allegedly belonging to someone using a downstairs restroom in some kind of bar or club, and pushing the thing down a flight of stairs. Mercyhurst University, where Briere currently plays hockey, issued a statement of their own in response to the video:
— Mercyhurst University (@MercyhurstU) March 15, 2023
The response to the video was all over the place. Some people wanted Briere kicked off the team and/or handcuffed and taken to jail. Other people thought this was a non-story because it’s a college kid being a college kid.
Of course it’s not that big of a deal in a vacuum, but like we pointed out this morning, people reacted the way they did because they felt like it was really shitty to mess with someone who has a disability. It wasn’t about pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a flight of stairs, it was about the perception that he had no regard for the person using the wheelchair.
That’s the explanation. Thank you, and have a great day.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com