Daisy Phillipson
The son of an NHL player who went viral for all the wrong reasons says he's 'deeply sorry' after pushing a woman's wheelchair down a flight of stairs.
Shocking footage circulated online showing two students having a conversation at the top of the stairs of Sullivan's Irish Pub in Erie, Pennsylvania.
After the pair notice a wheelchair in the corner, which a woman named Sydney had left to be assisted to the bathroom, one of the men sits down in it before getting up and pushing it to the floor below.
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The culprit was later identified as junior student Carson Briere, 23, the son of Danny Briere, a former pro ice hockey player and current interim manager of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Carson has since acknowledged his involvement in the incident, which took place on Saturday (11 March), and issued an apology.
In a statement shared through NHL's Flyers on Wednesday, March 18, he commented: "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 judgement."
Adding to this, Danny said he was 'shocked' by his son's actions.
"They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family's values on treating people with respect," he said.
"Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behaviour."
On the same day, Mercyhurst University, where Carson is a student athlete, said in a statement that he and two other students have been placed on an interim suspension as the investigation into the matter continues.
A GoFundMe was setup by a friend of Sydney's to help pay for a new wheelchair, and it has since closed after raising $8,811.
Following the news that the crowdfund was setup, Sydney took to Twitter to insist that the money go to 'those who need it'.
Alongside a photo of herself at the bar where the incident occurred, she wrote: "Hi, I'm Sydney and it was my chair that was pushed down the stairs.
"I'm so thankful for all of Sullivan's help in this situation and the kind comments I see on Julia's post.
"I swear I really don’t wanna keep a cent of the donated money, I’d much rather give it to those who need it."
She later added: "I would like to clarify that I’m using the GoFundMe donations to help fix my chair but all the rest is going to the disabled community and to people who really need the help."