UPDATED: Son of Flyers’ Interim GM in Wheelchair Incident at Bar

Carson Briere, whose father, Danny, was named the Philadelphia Flyers’ interim general manager last week, confirmed Wednesday he pushed a disabled student’s unoccupied wheelchair down the stairs at a bar Saturday.

A video of the incident has been viewed several million times on social media.

“I am deeply sorry for my behavior,” Carson Briere said in a statement. “There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for the serious lack of judgement.”

Danny Briere said he was “shocked to see Carson’s actions in the video. … They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family’s values of treating people with respect.”

Security footage showed the younger Briere, a student and hockey player at Mercyhurst University in Erie, knocked the wheelchair down the steps before walking back into the bar.

The wheelchair was at the top of the steps because its owner had to be carried downstairs to use the restroom, according to a report.

I usually don’t post anything serious on my twitter but something happened Saturday night and just can’t stomach the thought of this kid getting away with it. In the video below is a @MercyhurstU student and is currently on the @HurstMensHockey team. Carson Briere. pic.twitter.com/kWWlEYEc7V

— julia (@juliazukowski) March 14, 2023

The school said it was investigating the incident. In a statement, a spokesperson for Mercyhurst said it was aware of a “disturbing video in which one of our student-athletes is seen pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a flight of steps at a local establishment. Our Office of Student Conduct and Department of Police and Safety are investigating.”

Briere, 23, a junior who is majoring in communications, was previously dismissed from Arizona State’s hockey team for violation of team rules. In a story in College Hockey News in 2021, Briere said he did “too much partying.”

Three seasons at Mercyhurst

In high school, he played at St. Augustine Prep in South Jersey. Briere later played in the NAHL and BCHL, and he has spent three seasons at Mercyhurst. In 82 career games at the school, he has 23 goals and 59 points.

This season, he had five goals and 13 points in 30 games.

Danny Briere, 45, was named the Flyers’ interim general manager Friday, replacing the fired Chuck Fletcher. The players support him as the full-time GM.

Briere and his first wife, Sylvie, had three sons: Caelan, 24, an Alabama graduate; Carson; and Cameron, 21 a Southern Maine student who is the video coach for the Maine Mariners.

He and his second wife, Misha, have a son, Caiden, who turned one today.

“It’ been pretty cool diving back into it,” Briere said the other day about being a father again. He spoke before he knew about Carson’s incident. “It’s been a blessing. I experienced the first ones as a player, coming home completely exhausted, physically. So it’s pretty cool to have another chance and see him grow.

“It’s not that I’m there more often, but when I come home, I probably have a little bit more to give,” he said. “My work (now) is more intense mentally, but physically I feel better than when I played, and I’m not beat up when I get home.”

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