Carson Briere apologizes for damaging wheelchair after 'disturbing video' surfaces

After a video surfaced on social media showing NCAA hockey player Carson Briere pushing a wheelchair down a flight of stairs at a nightclub, criticism quickly followed. The video of Briere’s actions, originally posted by Julia Zukowski on Tuesday, received several million views on Twitter.

Eventually, the post reached Mercyhurst University, who replied to Zukowski’s post with a statement on the incident.

“Late this afternoon, Mercyhurst University became aware of a disturbing video in which one of our student-athletes is seen pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a flight of stairs at a local establishment. Our Office of Student Conduct and Department of Police and Safety are investigating.”

According to reports, the wheelchair had been left at the top of a flight of stairs at the inaccessible establishment, while the user had been carried down the stairs to utilize a washroom. In their absence, Briere is seen pushing the wheelchair down the stairs before returning to the nightclub.

The incident was amplified by Briere’s familial connections, as he is the son of current Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager and 17-year NHL veteran Daniel Briere. Less than a week ago, Briere was appointed as interim general manager of the Flyers after the organization fired Chuck Fletcher from the role.

Briere recently finished his junior season with the Mercyhurst Lakers, having been twice named an Atlantic Hockey Association all-conference team member. The 23-year-old, along with the interim Flyers GM, each released a statement on Wednesday in response to the incident:

Briere was previously dismissed from Arizona State University’s men’s hockey program for violations of their team rules before transferring to Mercyhurst. In Briere’s own words, the issue related to “too much partying, that’s probably the best way to put it.”