PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The son of Flyers interim general manager Danny Breyer issued a statement Wednesday afternoon to apologize after surveillance video showed him pushing a disabled woman’s wheelchair down the stairs of a bar last weekend.
“I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday,” Carson Brier said. “There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do all I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment.”
The incident occurred at Sullivan’s Tavern and Restaurant in Erie, Pennsylvania. Carson Brier is a junior center on the Mercyhurst University men’s ice hockey team, which is also located in Erie.
The school released a statement regarding the incident:
Mercyhurst University has heard a strong outcry regarding a video on social media of student Carson Breyer which shows him pushing a vacant wheelchair down a flight of stairs.
Today, Mr. Breyer issued a statement holding him accountable for his actions, and in doing so, he realizes that his behavior reflects a “serious lack of judgment” and that he is “deeply sorry.”
The actions shown in the video make our hearts heavy and mercifully fall short of our belief in the inherent dignity of every person. We pray and stand in solidarity with the victim and all people with disabilities who rightly find actions like this deeply offensive.
The Tradition of Mercy also reminds us that students and all people who make bad choices deserve opportunities to learn, change behaviors, and atone for harmful actions.”
The video, which @juliazukowski posted to Twitter, shows Carson Breyer and two other friends at the top of Sullivan’s staircase. Carson Breyer sat him in a wheelchair and then pushed him down the steps.
Security took the woman downstairs to use the staff bathroom, said Nate Sanders, Sullivan’s chief of security. While she was downstairs, Carson Brier pushed the wheelchair.
“Nobody was looked for to set an example,” Sanders said. “It didn’t matter if it was Danny Brier’s kid or some random guy from the street. The feelings would have been the same. It’s a shame someone would do that.”
Sullivan’s is the seventh oldest Irish pub in the United States and was built prior to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Sanders told CBS News Philadelphia that “it sounded like somebody fell down the stairs” when the wheelchair was pushed.
Sanders and the security staff carried her back up the stairs and put her back in the wheelchair after the accident.
Sanders said Carson Brier and another friend were kicked out of the bar after security reviewed the camera footage.
Sanders said the drive “messed up the fenders in the wheels”, cracked pieces in the armrests, and problems with one of the brakes.
Sanders started an online fundraiser to help a woman purchase a new wheelchair. Plan to buy a new one and then pass on the rest of the money to help others.
Sanders said the woman is “overwhelmed” by all of this and wants Brier and the other young men to be held accountable.
Danny Brier released a statement about the incident involving his son.
“I was shocked to see Carson’s actions in the video that was posted to social media yesterday,” said Danny Brier. “They are unforgivable and completely against our family values of treating people with respect. Carson is deeply sorry and takes full responsibility for his behavior.”
