PHILADELPHIA | Carson Briere was expelled from Mercyhurst University and given a 15-month suspended sentence for pushing a woman's empty wheelchair down the stairs of a bar in Erie, Pennsylvania. Now he wants to put the unfortunate incident in March 2023 behind him.
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In his interview with the Journal, Daniel Brière returned to his son's story.
“I can speak on this topic. We all make mistakes in life. I am someone who believes in the principle of second chances. But you have to have the will to improve and get back up. Carson has accomplished a lot since then. He was embarrassed and disappointed in himself.”
“He's not perfect today, but he took the lead. He works on himself, he also worked in the community.
“I'm not saying he'll never make a mistake again. But he wants to become a better person. He was affected by it. He wasn't proud. I'm proud of the way he reacted. He decided to roll up his sleeves. Since he is the son of Daniel Brière, he didn't behave like someone who could get away so easily. He was remorseful and blamed himself for the young woman [Sydney Benes].”
Slovakia and France
At the age of 24, Carson Brière set off for Europe.
“Carson loved staying home, but he realized it was time for him to go,” Daniel said. He decided to play ice hockey in Slovakia at the beginning of the year and now in France. He’s far from home.”
As a father, Daniel reached out to his son, although he said he was shocked and described his gesture as “inexcusable.”
“You want to be tough on your child so they realize what they have done. But at the same time you have to worry about him too. You don't want it to get any darker. It was very dark in front of him. He saw no way out. He had to find his way through all of this. He plays in the 2nd league in Neuilly-sur-Marne. He takes out his French. He didn’t think he had to use it!”